A Vertical Consideration

The black slurry sound of coal lifted by a shovel As it enters the locomotive mouth of fire Consumed in flames as well on dark gray days Is advised and necessary for movement forward  In any event the heat and cold are secondary To other pressing matters of formal conversation Not worth mentioning as life goes off the rails Carriages slip into oblivion when leaving the tracks behind With snow no longer pushed aside, blindly from side to side No longer facing horizontally as trains are known to go Coaches fall and with them people's laughter Vertical movement seems peculiar at times like these Locomotion in the snow in total free fall seems obscene Passengers did not sign up for going off the bridge Surely a refund is in order when disappointed Ending in ravines was not foreseen  Not exactly the adventure anticipated for this ride Certainly not the destination they surmised We are sure the engineer will have an explanation If he and others should survive