the beauty of a slow long distance freight train
chugging, grinding, squeaking
dancing back and forth on the rails as it goes
tangoing on the rusty dance floor
making its way to indianapolis chicago st. louis
los angeles denver seattle
blowing its horn in the late hours
of a foggy rainy night
in georgia cutting through forest pines
following the path of old telephone lines
rolling through countryside terrorized by sherman
a century and a half ago or so as the crow flies
morning now and the sun kisses the earth in this part of the world
now you can see small forgotten cemeteries with tombstones
almost hidden by weeds and grasses
surrounded by a barely standing black metal fence
in the middle of seemingly nowhere that was a where at one time
collapsing old wooden barns long past their expiration dates
pick-up truck junk, discarded farm equipment, boarded up farmhouses
a little further and it’s saying hello to the passing amtrak train
carrying ancient reminiscing passengers bound for miami f-l-a
still rueing the decline of the borscht belt in the catskills
now it's beachside cabanas by day, early bird dinners
some golf, a trip to the jai-alai fronton or Hialeah Park
shopping, some gossip with the every year regulars
their small group getting smaller each year
