Boxcar
Whose voice lingers
among the gathered stones,
raised then lowered as if
to ensnare followers?
This is not the issue.
Nor should we speak of paper
shuddering in the wind
and the dense glare of shovels
in the night underfoot.
Pray that the road continues
beyond the next curve
or increment of time.
Trust in motion,
the reticence of trees.
This has been moldering in a folder for the past thirty years. I have no idea what originally sparked it.
O at the Edges 
And is still a poem relevant for our times, Robert.
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Thank you, Talia.
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Beautifully crafted too.
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I’m glad it made it out of that mouldy folder!
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I’ve perused the contents of that folder before, but this one never surfaced before. Funny how that is…
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I think it’s not so much what sparked it then; but, that it was saved, found and still creates sparks in the reading of it today. 🙂 Thank you, as always.
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It seems curiously in tune with what I’ve been writing lately.
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I just love the that you saved this. Like a faceted gem it will trigger different memories and inspirations from each face. I love trains for a lot of reasons, I really resonate with this one Robert.
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I’m pleased this resonates with you, Angela. I suppose this one shows the power of a title – there’s little to suggest a train in the body of the poem, but the title sets the stage.
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There is just something so romantic about trains. Even freight trains conjure an image of long cross country travel. The idea of sitting in a boxcar, the door ajar with the landscape rushing by… I guess I should’ve been a hobo! Anyway, really love this!
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Lol, at been an hobo..
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Trains are mysterious, aren’t they?
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Honestly reading through at first I thought of race cars and then towards the end it screamed trains. I like it.. thank you for digging it out 😉
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Hmm. I hadn’t thought about cars, but I see how that could work. Other perspectives are always iinteresting to me.
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I so enjoy your way with words the idea that stones collect voices, the motion of paper-compelled-by-wind. *sigh!* 🙂
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Thanks, Carrie. Just my goofy way of expressing observations. 🙂
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I like it. It’s timeless.
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Thank you.
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Your own comment is amusing.
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Thanks, Derrick.
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Beautiful poem. I saw the pic though and was thrown, thinking it was a repost. Have you used this pic for another poem or did I see it on morgue files? You got me onto that site!
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I thought the photo looked vaguely familiar. Ha! Yes, I’ve used it before. And it is from morguefiles.com. It’s at least the second time I’ve reused a pic. Ah, memory…
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Love the mood of the poem.
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Thanks very much.
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Stellar! Thank you for sharing it!
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Thanks for reading it!
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