Another Day for Trains
Congratulations Union Pacific
The trains awake me in my slumber
The rumble of their weight on the tracks courses through me
I toss and turn to find my direction
The whistle blows in the cold stillness
Calling me to find my path
I am here but for a moment
Realizing my life’s crossroad
Conductor signals louder and more incessantly
I’ve grown to learn their sounding is as individual as we all are on this earth
Some play their horns as if there is no tomorrow
Others merely toot to remind me of their passing through
Sometimes I lie awake and await their arrival
Anticipating who is out there and why they are calling
There are times when the trains cross paths
East meets West
The energy
The constant motion
I stir
To find my feet and body across the bed
Directions have changed course
There comes a silence and I arise
Walking the dark hallway into the gently illuminated landing of the stairs
Lighting a candle to sit and meditate
Yearning to find my way
The trains are gone for this moment
Feeling relief
I often find them maddening
Do I need to be a better listener?
Derailment is only temporary
Each day the trains reappear
With the promise of try again
Their sturdiness weathers the elements
Some are empty and travel hollow
The heaviness of full cars sound their weight
The cars have attracted some to write their graffiti
The testament of self-expression for the world to see
For when they write the train is motionless
They can’t even feel the rumble under their feet
Only the cold steel beneath their hands
What goes through their mind?
Did they lose their way?
East meets West today
Lifting them in my thoughts
Surrounding them in love and light
I hear the next train coming
Faster stronger than the one before
The candlelight dims as the sunrise overtakes
I sit in awe
Another day before me
Another day for trains
Traveling and passing
Not to be unnoticed