barefoot I would
run along the

railroad tracks

see how far I could run
without falling

got pretty good

at this time

they were mostly
abandoned

the railroad tracks
where I lived

mostly used for
factories that

weren’t there
anymore

my grandfather
and uncle worked

on the railroads
most of their lives

repairing them

when it was
manual work

handheld tools
and brute strength

they were not
large men

old school
Italians

weathered and
strong-willed

the railroad
tracks

were the
place I would go

to get away

I could walk for
miles

and see no one