Sunday, July 12, 2020

9:17 a.m. southbound




9:17 a.m.

southbound

 

 

up

I imagine making                              the bed

                                                up

is like making                                     my mind

 

                not for                                                   

               

good

                                but

                                                                for the time

being needing

                                to tighten the night

                                                bolt

                                                up

                                                                right

 

f              l               a              t                              a              s              s

 

nearly done in

 

like a hobo I won’t ever know                                     but somehow I can

see beneath me in a not dream                                 up on the lingo up top

on the roof of the train maybe                                   I’m that hobo maybe I’ve

become that one hobo going hell                                              bent for leather

 

                                                                who/what stalled

 

                                                                                on

 

                                                                                tracks

                                                                                h

                                                                           me

 

                                                                                southbound

                                                                                9:15

                                                                                engine

                                                                                then

 

                                                                                car folding into

                                                                                car folding into car

                                                                               

 

and from that top I watch                                             and watch and roll and roll and watch:  

                :               :

 

let me say right

 

                                                here                      right                       now

 

this top

is lala land off

and I’m not

about to lose

any body

in the oncomingshitshow

but listen

did you know

Wyeth was painting

Alvaro

 

when he heard

his father

was crushed

by a train

coming down

on him and his

grandson

 

and going

home from

Maine

to

Pennsylvania

 

going home

o

i

n

g

                to the post          g

                                                o

                                                i

                                                n

                                                g

 

to pick up the house keeper

 

                               

                               

 

I imagine

                                                                                                can’t you?

                                                                                the length and depth

                                                                                the reverberating reach

                                                                                of the SCREECH given the speed

 

 

 

                                                                                of sound              “depending on the temperature

                                                                                                                of the air through which it

                                                                                                                moves---at sea level—

                                                                                                                assuming an air temperature of 59

                                                                                                                at Fahrenheit

                                                                                                                                                761.2                    

 

hurls ahead of the conductor

and then back again into his face

 

                           s

                                  c

s     c     r     e     e     c     h

       e

hsarc/crash

 

instantly.

they say

he died

instantly.

his boy/grand

boy died

instantly.

maybe.

maybe.

to me, in-

stantly is

just that

 

in some-

thing while

that thing

is happening

like parenthesis:

(instant)

 

the distance in time and feet and inches: the taking the trip up

the stairs to the bedroom, the pulling down the first time in weeks

clean sheets

and climbing in

between making

up           as if you

could

your mind           to sleep.

 

 

 


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