Do Not Ever Go Under a Stopped Train
Couched in my suburban home,
through my sleepless fog.
I hear the rattle of the 3 AM train
Half a mile away
Across the freeway road.
DO NOT EVER GO UNDER A STOPPED TRAIN
Rings from my childhood
Standing one set of tracks away,
The slowly moving train drags to a stop.
I wait.
DO NOT EVER GO UNDER A STOPPED TRAIN
Thirty seconds would do it.
I could slip between the cars.
Don Roy does it. I’ve seen him.
DO NOT EVER GO UNDER A STOPPED TRAIN
Don Roy is a boy and older.
He is bigger, faster, and stronger.
I wait.
DO NOT EVER GO UNDER A STOPPED TRAIN
The 3 AM quiet returns.
The far away train passes.
I wait.
DO NOT EVER GO UNDER A STOPPED TRAIN
Copyright © Mary Looser | Year Posted 2010
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