Followers

June 8, 2010

Terrible Train

I rode the Terrible Train
down a broad path that passed
between two great black mountains
shiny-slick, oozing like oil, sick and diseased
heaving overhead as I rode on down

I rode the Terrible Train
past great glistening vistas
new cities and old tobacco towns
mesa men brownly smiling
and disinterested tourists looking away

I rode the Terrible Train
through pink glass buildings
and smoky corridors
soft light mutely penetrating
my reflection flickers

I rode the Terrible Train
past the Plains of Man
a thousand forgotten dreams
lying in their dusty beds
too tired to rise

I rode the Terrible Train
to the Plains of The Prophets
through Messiah Mountains
past columns of fire and the screaming trees
that grow along the river that flows upstream

I rode the Terrible Train
over wind-swept fields
and nightmare visions
crumpled, crinkled, once-white paper
dancing in black back alley breezes

I rode the Terrible Train
by the city of new divorces
separated from the feelings
too empty to fill a heart
left behind like old dirty dishes

I rode the Terrible Train
through the Rains of Anxiety
heart beating murmurs
wide-eyed, seeing nothing
even the nothings that were not there

I rode the Terrible Train
speeding past the joys of old
a fleeting glimpse of Time’s treasures
buried by the relentless stream
of hour-glass sand

I rode the Terrible Train
near the Site of Promise
Yesterday’s Heyday now quiet
a hum under a basement floor
nobody stands still long enough to hear

I rode the Terrible Train
over rancoured truths
and well-worn lies
a lifetime’s accumulation
swept away as it sped by

I rode the Terrible Train
seeing junkyard displays
and bright facades of glee
narrowly covering
disparaged buildings

I rode the Terrible Train
by Northern wooded retreats
and Southern soirees
and Western rodeo roustabouts
and Eastern seashore shacks

I rode the Terrible Train
and saw crying orphans
war widows, misplaced soldiers
train stations overflowing
with sad seas of humanity

I rode the Terrible Train
by sparkling pentangle peaks
arcs of impossible angles
scraping black needles against the sky
piercing lowly ones who drift by

I rode the Terrible Train
fast animals keeping pace outside
seeking blood and warm flesh
trading it all for just one more ride

22 comments:

  1. whew...some ride...not sure where or when i would want to get off that one...esp with the animals trying to get on...nice write...happy oneshot!

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  2. that was some poem..you put so much into it..some amazing verses there..many thanks for sharing with One Shot..cheers Pete

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  3. What a ride it was Eric..:) interesting read,happy you linked at one shot..looking forward to more contributions..cheers :)

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  4. Vivid train of thought, Eric. Love that line "past columns of fire and the screaming trees
    that grow along the river that flows upstream" Wow.

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  5. Wow Eric- some ride indeed. What a chronicle of history and the lives of people

    Nicely done

    Thanks for riding on the One Shot Train

    beams from the Moon

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  6. And what happens when the ride starts again? Enjoyed this. Thanks.

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  7. Wow...what a massive ride!! Good writing and thanks for sharing:)

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  8. Those animals scare me! I'm glad the Terrible Train didn't let them on!

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  9. Very powerful. I kept seeing images flash by the window as we rode, the times and places though history.

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  10. Thanks for all the kind words everyone!

    Perhaps the train will ride again in the future.

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  11. okay, that's one train i don't want to ride! very interesting angles.

    smiles,

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  12. Such a long journey filled with the heaviness of life's sorrows. Well done with such truth. Heartspell

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  13. I kept hoping for a bright spot at the end. Whew! What a ride!

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  14. Sorry, Kat... but this is the TERRIBLE train!

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  15. What a ride that could have been. I guess you must have drawn positives from them all that is why you could write this outstandingly.

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  16. Eric this is TERRIBLE...

    very richly written. congratulations and thanks for dropping by

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  17. Some ride, this! Changing landscapes, ups turned to dark lows, greens turned to greys and browns, blues to red...
    I wonder if the ride backwards would be as interesting..

    A great read!!! Thanks for sharing..

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  18. God I felt absolutley drained after that ride. I don't want another like that! Who is worse of the person inside or those animals outside?
    Hard hitting

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  19. Wow, wow, wow! What a ride that was. You have some fantastic verses here. Many thanks for sharing this. ♥

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  20. It had a hint for for me of the same moral outrage and tone of The Pilgrims Progress
    Thanks for dropping by and reading Campaigning. I’m drawn to poetry as a storytelling technique and this was about the life of a woman emptied out by the political ambitions of her husband.

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  21. wow.
    you know, though i haven't heard your voice, i can hear you reading this one aloud.

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