City Lights from a Passing Train

I saw the pretty city lights
From the window of a passing train
They twinkled like little yellow stars
Against the inky violet backdrop of the night
They flashed for an instant
and then went their own way
Or is it I who have passed?
Away from the warm city lights
Yes. I am thankful for these messengers
These lighthouses for nightly trains
They show how fast I progress
Towards my final destination
The soft and distant glow
of the numerous city lights
is mirrored in my heart and eyes
if only for an instant
Sometimes lonely lamps cross my way
Shining alone across the horizon
Then suddenly hidden by black trees
Or fading away in the night's shadows
Any city I pass I do not see
the people, the hearts or the colours
But I know them by their city lights
Whether many or few or far apart
White or yellow, cold or warm
Tall, short, near or abroad
But the city lights are the brightest
just before the train rests finally
and I move to meet them
these stationary timekeepers of our modern lives.