Train Poems.

robert train poem #2

i'm sorry
our regularly scheduled
poem has been delayed
so that we may bring you
news from our first station
stop--Edmonds, WA, on
the shores of Puget Sound.
outside the city there
seem to be more christmas
lights--god's never been on
the side of sailors so they
do what they can to please.

sarah train poem #3

Stepping onto the train we enter
   into large expanses of space
   and time, sparse and luxurious.

Not a Blank Canvas,
not an Empty Glass,
not Waiting for Something Better
   to Come Along,
not Wanting a Second Chance,
not Keeping One Eye on the Door,
not Hedging Bets,
but Here --

torn up,
turned inside out,
left to rust away in the snow and
    fade in the sun,

used and then forgotten
upon arrival at our destination.

robert train poem #6

if it don't come easy, force it.
someone's punched your meal ticket?
cover the hole with your thumb--
it will be our secret.

sarah train poem #1

out in the flatlands
a blanket of crops covers the earth,
a giant striped quilt of browns.

What's under the coveres?
Rocks, dirt, pesticides,
Bones of Indians, Buffalo, and Dinosaurs.

Blood and dust,
blood and dust.
Our history feeds us.

robert train poem #11

between me and space
there is space
between the eye
and what is seen
there is thought
turning into
memory
between these lines
i sip a drink
as a continent
of cracked ice
slips under me

sarah train poem #4

out in the flat whiteness
brown blades of grass stand out
like the mountains in the distance.

robert train poem #22

more drink! more food!
more song and dance!
bring me the head of
john the baptist and
turn on the Gran Prix.
i haven't had a good sandwich
in a long time--make mine
a boloney on white. turn
your eyelids inside out--
come on, try to scare me.
most of all, don't let this
moment pass like just another
pair of frog legs in a high
school biology class.

or do. what does it matter
and who am i to tell you?


amtrak empire builder
seattle to chicago
december 18-20, 2003

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