On the Train

"On The Train" is a poem by Gillian Clarke. Its chief subject matter is the Paddington rail crash and its aftermath. The poem imagines commuters on the train heading towards the "bone-ship" and refers to the anxiety of passengers and loved ones alike in the days following the disaster. Clarke uses the technology of 1999 to ground her poem in reality - the mobile phones of the victims lie in the wreckage of the train while their friends and family frantically try to ring them. She quotes the phrase: "The Vodafone you are calling May have been switched off. Please call later."

On the Train

"On The Train" is a poem by Gillian Clarke. Its chief subject matter is the Paddington rail crash and its aftermath. The poem imagines commuters on the train heading towards the "bone-ship" and refers to the anxiety of passengers and loved ones alike in the days following the disaster. Clarke uses the technology of 1999 to ground her poem in reality - the mobile phones of the victims lie in the wreckage of the train while their friends and family frantically try to ring them. She quotes the phrase: "The Vodafone you are calling May have been switched off. Please call later."