Thursday, November 19, 2020

The Freight Train

 

The morning silence is broken by a murmur in the distance. The steady rumbling of the endless sinewy steel carcass, twisting and turning, slithering and sliding, meandering and curving up steep inclines and down deep ravines, never hurried and never slowing but always a measured, determined pace, the metallic serpent continues on its course. Blub-blub, Blub-blubb, Blub-blubb, untiring, steady and determined, stoic unfaltering and rigid, moving along in its robotic, unhurried fashion, keeping to its schedule.

The earth rumbles, the houses shake on their foundations and teeth chatter. Like an endless grist mill, huge shiny steel wheels spinning and grinding all that fall beneath them to a fine dust, an endless procession of cold, efficient, mechanical power like a Roman Legion marching through conquered lands.

The vagabond’s highway, a carefree ride, the hobo’s solace and sanctuary, a refuge and haven, the mechanized precision and constant movement rocks the wanderers to sleep, like babies in a cradle. Five hundred cars and four miles long, the steel serpent now disappears into the distance quietly rumbling into far-away lands. Silence and peace return.

 

Jim

November 2020

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