Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Nightrail


The rules are:
→Below 45 miles per hour, at all designated crossings, 15 seconds before, 
but no more than 20 seconds (before).
→O for short – for Long
The standard pattern remains two long, one short and one long
__   __  O  _____

→Most importantly*do not mistake: O __ for __O
One means inspecting the breaks due to malfunction, 
                                                           the other signals approaching a station.
→The restriction is now under a lawn mower, 
horns must be kept lower than 106 dB,
*Pain has been recorded at 125 dB*

The train relentless           last night                     when then rooms dark-in
                             the horn and heavy steel wheels push                         on past
Silent , one-eared heads
-interrupting-           -the thought-              ---process—yes---where were –
Before, it just came again...come again
            Two tracks too much
Amtrak                                                             a freight of     BNSF Railway
Park and Ride, park in the driveway, sit in traffic on the freeway-
                          Toss and Spin, Smolder. Seriously?
People are lined with pennies to pinch under cog and sun, coal for going places.
In the midnight, there must be quarters.
It is called interest. It builds, accrues, and you rarely notice it, until you 
start stealing thoughts on rails
                                          laid down on the line 
                                                                            with the precision of an air horn
rolling over
                   corrugated sheets under tin-eared scalps.


Painting by Paul Signac [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

                                                                                        


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