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"onboard" poems
The cars roll up and come to a stop You jump onboard thinking this rocks But the non-stop ride has only just begun Before long you’re up and in rages again Things fly through the air and break on the wall You’re pushing and fighting and out of control Then you run to your room and lock yourself in Crying and shaking till your asleep yet again You wake from your sleep but you haven’t a clue You really don’t know why things are askew Another day and what will it bring Today the rollercoaster is on a downhill swing You’re sad and mad and hating the world There is no one to love and no one who cares Forget the friends and forget the fun You lay in your bed wishing you were gone I tell you I love you and you say it’s not true You’re the love of my life what can I do Day after day the ride starts again The only change is the curves and the spins We have tried all the medicines but to no avail We have gone to the psychiatrist but she is no help I understand your thinking son but what can I do We have tried so many things and yet I haven’t a clue You beg me to **** you and to make it all stop I want it to end but your request I can not Please don’t give in to this terrible thing Stay with me a while longer till I find you again The rollercoaster will someday jump the track And you will be free from the ride at last.
0
Mar 10, 2010
Mar 10, 2010 at 6:40 AM UTC
The Rollercoaster Ride
Wasting my life. Cause my time is so precious, ha! Walking through my room, the stench actually slows progress. You feel it on your skin, it thickens the air, increases drag. They squirm on the floor. I wipe them off my hands and stomach. They might have had dreams, aspirations. How ridiculous they’re just ejaculations. I posses a value for life. But my children here. I don’t feel anything for them, or without them. Time ***** by. Instinct, greed and something else win again. This addiction doesn’t leave track marks, ***** spoons, or empty lighters. But it does leave a stench, and little time. It’s a **** I can’t get rid of. Literally. It’s attached to me, I use it everyday in one way. But **** it. Whoops, phrasing... I mean ***** it, school is in like 6 hours. I feel relieved in one way. Now I have it onboard. A nice big hit, of dopamine. Instantly.
0
Feb 20, 2020
Feb 20, 2020 at 10:17 AM UTC
Wasting Kids
Leaving Minnesota on train or buses, crowded and alone, were you fearful to sleep on couches and of the Village people with a rhapsody of dreams and cacophony of chords, under rain and sewer stank was it hard, to step inside and play the first time for glistening eyes and stage lights and to let melody escape your belly-throat for them, or did you know more, that words can sculpt delicacy as smooth as Donatello and that life can be bought without wrinkled greens and pressed threads? Walking under a hard-rain of assumption and change, did Greenwich birth a demon-sadness, so you hid your neck beneath collars and dark glasses and smoky rhyme, when the ship comes in will you be onboard or escape to Louisiana, misunderstood, working a river boat after you give Lennon a puff and Warhol a tight-fist? Did sad-eyed Sara send you back leather spanish boots or forget, and was Christ able to mend that broken love, and did you later kick his idiot wind away and in 2009 on stage when I could see emptiness and heartbreak hidden underneath your creased stetson, were you still singing it ain't me, babe?
0
Nov 21, 2014
Nov 21, 2014 at 8:26 PM UTC
Dylan
Throwing the baggage onboard, I'm ***** and straight forward with you. No games. If I ******* like you, I won't spin this web of ******** and pain. I ******* like you that is that. We'll work out the rest, we'll deal with it, and these sorry *** lines later. You're more than some walking-wet-bag for my **** You're you. And I like that ******* it. **** the rest. That is the only straight forward part of my life right now, you and writing. This is the best poetry you're gonna get, because the rest of what was planned for this poem went into conversation and pre-emptive love. What ever the **** that means... But there will come a day when friends can't understand my poetry again, that's when you'll know what has happened to us. You'll know...
0
Mar 9, 2013
Mar 9, 2013 at 2:25 AM UTC
I'll never write The Commedia after ***
little girl, you better hold on hold on tight to the charcoal sturdiness of a railing, to the warmth emitting from the barrier of your father's arm, for the bus would bring you there once, twice, a hundred times to the first turbulence of a flight you are onboard from the very start, and like that tedious twenty-two hours to america like the cousins who followed the eldest, coolest brother up hanging on an escalator track turbulences come one, another until the odyssey sews to a close along with your shredded dreams your corrupted perceptions, your wrinkles, your bruised, weary heart which would thus lay within your burnt, soulless corpse
0
Sep 16, 2013
Sep 16, 2013 at 1:07 PM UTC
toddler in black with the tiny ponytail
Carrying a thousand mistakes in my arms Thoughts weighed down by words and worry In my mind rolling back and forth Judgement making vision blurry Surrounding area fades into the background I watch anything but you We each play with the other's feelings A foolish game we both are used to All my stress becomes complicated Stretch my patience until barely there Give myself another headache Wasting peace on you, I stare Friend? Foe? Not sure anymore In your eyes darkness is rising Love you no matter what shape you form Any secret identity you may be disguising I take your hidden baggage All that I will never see Welcome confidential cargo onboard I will accept you for you if you accept me for me
0
Sep 13, 2018
Sep 13, 2018 at 4:52 PM UTC
A Thousand Mistakes Carried
I seen her there in that rocking chair Grey hair flying everywhere She was rocking as fast as could be Letting out shrill squeaks of glee Beneath the wrinkles you could still see The child she so long ago use to be In her eyes was a glint Of a woman hell bent On squeezing out every once of fun She knew her time was almost done But for today she hadn't a care Let the people stare I watched the grandkids climb onboard As Grandma throttled up and the soared For imagination was her most prized possession She was leaving it to her grandkids, you could see it in their expression This lesson from their wild haired grandma that they got Would never ever be forgot As that rocking chair flew back and fourth Leaving the gravity of earth Headed for an adventure out in the galaxy Sharing Grandma's fantasy
0
Jun 9, 2016
Jun 9, 2016 at 12:11 PM UTC
The Rocking Chair
when I die I do not ask that you surround my body with clay soldiers in the depths of the dirt I ask only for you to lay me down in the grass and construct over me a monument of your words I ask for you to speak of me as I was unable to speak of you for I can not articulate your presence past the word love see, my vocal cords cannot adequately express the way I feel about you the best I can do is replace the ink of my pen with the blood of my heart and splatter it upon the page you know, its times when you’re there, and i’m here that my mind fills with your thoughts that my elbow refuses to bend because it misses your shoulder that I pick a flower, press it to my nose, but still smell only you its those times, when this page, is all I have of you so instead of folding it into a paper boat and sending it down the river I write words upon it I write how much I miss you — and then I send it down the river for I know that the mouth of the river is your favorite place that you love to catch things just before they reach the open ocean just as you caught me, before I sailed off without direction you stopped me, you handed me a compass, and then you climbed right onboard yourself and we faced the open ocean together so when I die I ask that you speak of our journey speak of what we learned about love’s tendency to forget the cardinal directions so that the compass of my soul points neither here nor there it points solely and unwaveringly to you
0
Mar 23, 2013
Mar 23, 2013 at 9:58 PM UTC
speak of us
Enthusiastically drawing an electrifying first breath of air as the emotionally significant cut of the umbilical cord welcomes an angel onboard Capturing the delicate beauty of invisible, energetic strings eternally connecting two highly raptured, earthly beings; breaking free of the chrysalis, a monarch joyously spreads its invigorating wings and zings through the air with entrancingly colored wings.
0
Jan 3, 2015
Jan 3, 2015 at 4:06 PM UTC
Electrifying
She have created a world, that she did not know. have appointed a pawn, to build it for her. Waited until it's done, never ever sat on it. No worries and second thoughts, trusted on her mighty wits thought this was good, Will make her the master. To go with the trends, of this fast phased ambience. Did not care on the work, Showed a little effort. while the poor pawn, was proving his humble worth. stayed late, worked overtime. to polish the demands of the demanding divine. while Time had flee, the so-called universe was done, completed the systems, of holy progress crowned. Yes! she was overwhelmed, without knowing the details, as she takes the merit, the deed and the title. Not until a flaw, was shown and highlighted, because of her ill leadership, issues have ignited. why and why, are the repeating questions, all thrown to the poor pawn, gazillion revisions. Yes she knows why, but she never cared. you can't approach and talk, but the mood was always there. All the issues, resulted from the unobserved. Scattered around, up down onboard. And you can see, the blame is always there, for the incomplete universe, she want's to give and share. as she pushes the pawn, off the high cliff, with spikes and swords, sinking quicksand beneath. as the Queen wants it, the fame and popularity, easily shifts mood, cannot adjust to scarcity. As she blames it, to the skilled pawn, turns to her scapegoat, to protect her own to misguide and uplift, one's own selves. to project a good image, and please the elves. as she was pressured, by his lord King, yes! she's pressured, without a wink. and she had slaved the kingdom, for a long long time, oh darkness ruled, as she drinks her wine. Until the pawn had chance, to gather alliance, break free from slavery, come and hear the mob's chant. Until they realized, that they are abused, given a title, that is always misused. Until the pawn reacts, had the ultimate break. saw an opening, and it's zap, it's checkmate .
0
Feb 23, 2011
Feb 23, 2011 at 5:37 AM UTC
Until it's checkmate
She have created a world, that she did not know. have appointed a pawn, to build it for her. Waited until it's done, never ever sat on it. No worries and second thoughts, trusted on her mighty wits thought this was good, Will make her the master. To go with the trends, of this fast phased ambience. Did not care on the work, Showed a little effort. while the poor pawn, was proving his humble worth. stayed late, worked overtime. to polish the demands of the demanding divine. while Time had flee, the so-called universe was done, completed the systems, of holy progress crowned. Yes! she was overwhelmed, without knowing the details, as she takes the merit, the deed and the title. Not until a flaw, was shown and highlighted, because of her ill leadership, issues have ignited. why and why, are the repeating questions, all thrown to the poor pawn, gazillion revisions. Yes she knows why, but she never cared. you can't approach and talk, but the mood was always there. All the issues, resulted from the unobserved. Scattered around, up down onboard. And you can see, the blame is always there, for the incomplete universe, she want's to give and share. as she pushes the pawn, off the high cliff, with spikes and swords, sinking quicksand beneath. as the Queen wants it, the fame and popularity, easily shifts mood, cannot adjust to scarcity. As she blames it, to the skilled pawn, turns to her scapegoat, to protect her own to misguide and uplift, one's own selves. to project a good image, and please the elves. as she was pressured, by his lord King, yes! she's pressured, without a wink. and she had slaved the kingdom, for a long long time, oh darkness ruled, as she drinks her wine. Until the pawn had chance, to gather alliance, break free from slavery, come and hear the mob's chant. Until they realized, that they are abused, given a title, that is always misused. Until the pawn reacts, had the ultimate break. saw an opening, and it's zap, it's checkmate .
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84
let´s meet in the hole he said where the ghost of the towers looms a friendly face so long awaited By rising dawn the cruise ship pulls in at Cape Liberty and there´s the bustle of anticipation the excitement in the air that we will see the loving face hear once more the loving words the only words that are in the right language And all in vain You have to stay onboard Captain Papanicolau said to honour gynechology all the things we could have done in Brooklyn and Manhattan and all the New York people and New York streets the trumpet players and the Museum of Modern Art Meant not for me this is the new forbidden land the immigration officers its guarding hounds this is new york this rubble heap and the yellow cranes the bridge and the horizon and in the summer I shall go to the Bermuda Triangle and hope to disappear
0
Nov 23, 2009
Nov 23, 2009 at 9:24 AM UTC
this is new york (New Jersey, April 2006)
A warm dark rectangle. That was what it was after all. A long toasty box, filled with rows of seats; all with a certain air of weariness about them. Covered in a thick crinkled heather grey material, they seemed to be begging silently for a kind of companionship. Despite the silent, tired interior, the exterior was jumping, vivid, and fake. Bands of glowing neon twisted their way across the structure, globes of red light sliced through the dawns inky chill. This gaudy shell sped across barren city roads, quiet as a snake. As it slid into view, it's waiting passengers hoisted their heavy packs, and waited for their dazzled, stricken vision to return. With a hiss, the double doors of the bus opened and the travelers mounted the dull metal steps, and deposited themselves into designated seats. Frigid and sleepy, neighbors attempted stilted conversation. Once the necessary social obligations where filled, they relapsed into a sort of semi conscious coma. Maybe it was 10 minutes, Maybe it was 10 hours later. There is no sense of time on the bus. Just a cloying fog of heat and drowsiness. Whatever the moments had been, the passengers knew that their time to face the day had arrived. Gliding in front of the brick and glass monument to conformity, the doors opened, and the brave souls onboard filed out. As they entered the building, the seats sighed. They missed the travelers. Carbon copies, possibly, but people all the same. And when your lonely, nothing is more desired then a human touch.  "Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place."
~Tecumseh
0
Feb 2, 2012
Feb 2, 2012 at 7:42 PM UTC
Transportation
A warm dark rectangle. That was what it was after all. A long toasty box, filled with rows of seats; all with a certain air of weariness about them. Covered in a thick crinkled heather grey material, they seemed to be begging silently for a kind of companionship. Despite the silent, tired interior, the exterior was jumping, vivid, and fake. Bands of glowing neon twisted their way across the structure, globes of red light sliced through the dawns inky chill. This gaudy shell sped across barren city roads, quiet as a snake. As it slid into view, it's waiting passengers hoisted their heavy packs, and waited for their dazzled, stricken vision to return. With a hiss, the double doors of the bus opened and the travelers mounted the dull metal steps, and deposited themselves into designated seats. Frigid and sleepy, neighbors attempted stilted conversation. Once the necessary social obligations where filled, they relapsed into a sort of semi conscious coma. Maybe it was 10 minutes, Maybe it was 10 hours later. There is no sense of time on the bus. Just a cloying fog of heat and drowsiness. Whatever the moments had been, the passengers knew that their time to face the day had arrived. Gliding in front of the brick and glass monument to conformity, the doors opened, and the brave souls onboard filed out. As they entered the building, the seats sighed. They missed the travelers. Carbon copies, possibly, but people all the same. And when your lonely, nothing is more desired then a human touch.  "Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place."
~Tecumseh
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7
A cartoonish grim woman in aft cabin was a harlequin let umbrage squash her there a known charter while she'd smoke in bed her aroma did permeate her rise to eat breakfast a morning prepared for sore again only technical her rouse indeed tripped her smoke alarm and went unheeded to another deck till open bar decided her fate while her interest there was crickety where love is deep in the sea their golden groves were bubbles and waves while they brim with valuables onboard did spill and they'd evoke near me without their calling when aquanauts will buck up gear then they really sever their troves below that really soften thine eyes where the air is moist and ye suit there so well I can tell you I am picky today and defray your kind.
0
Dec 2, 2016
Dec 2, 2016 at 4:47 AM UTC
Bugaboo
I'm downright parchy when you're icy Slammin' wet when you're dulcet So glum...lolled...you're nowhere onboard Alacrity is farced as simpers scarce Prolix spells ahead as your radiance effaced Stunning silence! Shan't be scraggy better be scoutty Lame ruse meeds its match...
0
Jan 10, 2011
Jan 10, 2011 at 3:07 PM UTC
baffled
Keswick to Kendal by bus Boarded at Keswick few people aboard lovely and peaceful just watching as the amazing scenery goes by At Ambleside things change dramatically an army of unruly schoolchildren arrive onboard The whole journey turns into a nightmare I was glad when we reached sunny Kendal
0
Mar 9, 2018
Mar 9, 2018 at 5:44 AM UTC
Keswick to Kendal
It's that time of the year.. When it's supposed to be me time The day I left my single life And entered the coupled zone.. It's that time of the year When I want to pamper my self The day I left my care less self To become a responsible partner.. It's that time of the year.. When life opened it's arm for me New horizons .. New adventures.. New difficulties.. New challenges.. All my text books failed to give me An idea on how to prepare For what's in store for me After I come onboard.. It's that time of the year.. When I celebrate getting married.. On this day some 15 years ago... I became Mrs. Of my Mr.... And life has never been similar again.. The carefree girl is no where to be seen.. The lady thats me today is so totally changed.. But, I love the new me.. The all grown, "wisdomised" me!! 364 days of a year I decide to be grown up, Giving my kids commands and advices, And getting up for my duties But today is the day I want to celebrate Just like, I used to celebrate before being married, So reasoning and all patience All wisdom I want to bury under the carpet.. It's that time of the year.. When I want to celebrate, dance and party... For becoming Mrs.... Of my Mr. back then...!!! ** Happy anniversary !!!! ** Sparkle In Wisdom November 2018
0
Nov 21, 2018
Nov 21, 2018 at 1:17 PM UTC
Anniversary..!
Lately keeping my desire at bay. Reminding myself on and off to accept what reality has to offer. Do not try to seek out the unknowns. Please keep the minds off the wild Stay where you are Here's beautiful as well. Seeking for next thrill Quietly, calmly, patiently Am obedient as the the description goes Yet thoughts mercilessly tilting toward the windows Just like old days, being ignorant of classroom boards What's wrong? Hello. The sun is hurting, couldn't worship for  long So bright, eyes barely follow the views That's alright. Not wanting to be moon just waiting for the shines Well fed with greed, to be onboard in repeat cycle Most willing to settle with current flows Even though slightly insane, I thought.
0
Mar 21, 2019
Mar 21, 2019 at 9:13 AM UTC
Hungry Traveler
I don’t feel like listening to anyone anymore Everybody’s reminiscing waiting for an encore They just want more Just stop lookin at me like I’m onboard I’m not okay with this feeling I get like why am I being so nice for? The assumption that I need something from you is the only misunderstanding Our malfunction is now dumping garbage everywhere and it’s finally landing Our planning isn’t withstanding the response you’re demanding That’s what you told me with those word you were cramming Down my throat
0
Sep 17, 2018
Sep 17, 2018 at 3:11 PM UTC
Enough
Lime charged locomotive Engine full of pulp And peel Iron clad rails Choo ******* choo Choo choo. Im hippin’ , but not as The graffiti sweet grit Covering the carts Hoppin’ leaders onboard thisphucka, I'm taking the stairs. Its madness I know Im crazie But,
0
Mar 21, 2015
Mar 21, 2015 at 5:36 PM UTC
impact
Like the swell of the screaming sea That drowns the awaiting sands, Unpredictability overthrows reasoning- Abstracting me from all that still waits. Unreachable, surreal- As though life’s seams have been divided By a tongue, rendering me voiceless Amidst a thousand voices. Words are devious; deceptive like the silent tears That soaks my cold sheets at night. Thoughts are a curse, merciless and unforgiving, Plaguing honest judgements, It is only within childhood innocence That I find safe solitude. In duty and in contract I’ am bound, Though my heart is onboard ship To familiar English shores. Unceasingly my mind seeks out the shadows, Torturing my affections with their poison Of the one who holds my barely beating heart- So carelessly in his hands. Anna Elizabeth Rose ©
0
Dec 16, 2010
Dec 16, 2010 at 12:54 PM UTC
The End Of A New Beginning
Lost at sea in the eye of the Storm The wind took me here pushes me further away from shore away from Home I've sent birds from the deck but none have returned and now I have none left The stars and the moon are no match for the clouds, no silver lines slice through on this night Only mouthfuls of salt water and the stink of dead fish swept onboard by wave after wave of rouges The crew wash overboard while repairing, raising the ripped sails, some swept away taken by the darkest blades, and some cling to what they can They beg for relief, seeking a break, but I can't control much, much less the weather and I wish they weren't here because this ship is going down eventually, and I know my fate lays at the bottom of some yet uncharted waters and as captain I have a duty to stay with my ship and save my crew but, they stay with me because they always have, always will, after all, That's what friends are for to guide your ship, repair her sails, help you find the way home while the storm rages, the winds never stop, maybe the birds knew the journey was a failure from the start, and once released they found a nest like they should've had all along and in that I can't blame them, I'm still looking for my Home too, on a ship of friends with my broken heart rudder pushing forth, but in a heading unknown.
0
Apr 23, 2015
Apr 23, 2015 at 3:41 PM UTC
where the wind takes my sails
Shipping as it was He had many ships the old ship owner He liked to visit his vessels eat the onboard cuisine Talk to the crew he knew their names Listened to them and their problems ****** stayed onboard long on his ship some Tor years they knew nothing of life ashore And when the ship was in harbour only ventured to The nearest bar one can say they had become Shipionalised He died the old man and the expert shipping people Took charge, reduced the crew number no benefits Finally hired crew from Asia and flagging out to Avoid paying taxes. Shipping as we knew it had come to an end, sad But nothing lasts forever but it galls me to think Fifty thousand seafarers lost their job and It didn't make a headline in any newspaper
0
Sep 29, 2016
Sep 29, 2016 at 5:47 AM UTC
shipping as it was
I was sat in a Tavern in Pompey Town, Sipping a tipple of *** When I watched a Jack make an axe attack, Chop off his finger and thumb! I couldn’t believe the blood that flowed From the cut of that rusty blade, But the barmaid Flo, said ‘You’ve done it, Joe, Now look at the mess you’ve made!’ She cleaned it up with a swill of ale, Walked off with the finger and thumb, ‘I’ll nail these up on the balustrade With the rest that have been as dumb.’ But Joe sang out when he’d had a drink ‘It’s better than being a tar! I spent three years, under the lash On His Majesty’s Man o’ War.’ ‘They ‘pressed me when I was still a kid And treated me like a dog, I suffered scurvy and couldn’t work, The answer to that, was flog.’ ‘They flogged me around the Southern Cape, They flogged me a-ship and ashore, Whenever I thought that I might escape They dragged me onboard for more.’ ‘And Cap’n Foggett’s abroad tonight With his cut-throat parcel of rogues, Impressing the able-bodied men, They’re lining them up in droves.’ ‘For Nelson’s lying abaft the lee With barely a half a crew, He needs more men for the ‘Victory’, And that means me and you!’ ‘In every tavern they’re moving in, In every alley and quay, At first they offer the King’s shilling, To war with the enemy.’ ‘But the Frenchies rake with the carronade That will rip the flesh from your bones, And the decks run red from the men who bled Impressed from their wives and homes.’ ‘They say he sails on the tide tonight So they’re doing a quick Hot Press, Even a gen’lman walking late Won’t meet with their gentleness.’ ‘A cudgel whack on a squire’s head Then dragged to the bilges, free, They’ll never know ‘til they all wake up That they’re headed on out to sea.’ ‘That Nelson’s got but a single arm, He’s got but a single eye, If that’s not enough to be alarmed By God, then I wonder why!’ The Press Gang came to the Tavern door But couldn’t come on inside, They tried to sell me a Man o’ War But Joe had made me decide. I took a gulp of Jamaica *** And I steeled myself to the task, ‘The Press are waiting outside,’ I cried, ‘Just hand me that rusty axe!’ David Lewis Paget
0
Dec 15, 2014
Dec 15, 2014 at 10:27 AM UTC
Before Trafalgar
I was sat in a Tavern in Pompey Town, Sipping a tipple of *** When I watched a Jack make an axe attack, Chop off his finger and thumb! I couldn’t believe the blood that flowed From the cut of that rusty blade, But the barmaid Flo, said ‘You’ve done it, Joe, Now look at the mess you’ve made!’ She cleaned it up with a swill of ale, Walked off with the finger and thumb, ‘I’ll nail these up on the balustrade With the rest that have been as dumb.’ But Joe sang out when he’d had a drink ‘It’s better than being a tar! I spent three years, under the lash On His Majesty’s Man o’ War.’ ‘They ‘pressed me when I was still a kid And treated me like a dog, I suffered scurvy and couldn’t work, The answer to that, was flog.’ ‘They flogged me around the Southern Cape, They flogged me a-ship and ashore, Whenever I thought that I might escape They dragged me onboard for more.’ ‘And Cap’n Foggett’s abroad tonight With his cut-throat parcel of rogues, Impressing the able-bodied men, They’re lining them up in droves.’ ‘For Nelson’s lying abaft the lee With barely a half a crew, He needs more men for the ‘Victory’, And that means me and you!’ ‘In every tavern they’re moving in, In every alley and quay, At first they offer the King’s shilling, To war with the enemy.’ ‘But the Frenchies rake with the carronade That will rip the flesh from your bones, And the decks run red from the men who bled Impressed from their wives and homes.’ ‘They say he sails on the tide tonight So they’re doing a quick Hot Press, Even a gen’lman walking late Won’t meet with their gentleness.’ ‘A cudgel whack on a squire’s head Then dragged to the bilges, free, They’ll never know ‘til they all wake up That they’re headed on out to sea.’ ‘That Nelson’s got but a single arm, He’s got but a single eye, If that’s not enough to be alarmed By God, then I wonder why!’ The Press Gang came to the Tavern door But couldn’t come on inside, They tried to sell me a Man o’ War But Joe had made me decide. I took a gulp of Jamaica *** And I steeled myself to the task, ‘The Press are waiting outside,’ I cried, ‘Just hand me that rusty axe!’ David Lewis Paget
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61
Adobe and dust, a place so quiet. One grandfather cottonwood, leaves rustling, listens with us for the next train. Drought has dried this land beyond any living person's memory. Now, a cooling wind gathers power. The sky over the old mountains darkens. As the train pulls out from the antique station, a single fork of lightning frames itself in the small rear window. The silvered tracks put distance rapidly behind us. Opening out now before us, sunlight on the High Desert. We turn to see starched white cumulous clouds, absent for months float by, flat bottoms casting healing shadows over the parched land. In Albuquerque, we stop for new passengers. It's days after the 4th of July; families have been visiting. Roasted green chilies, their fragrance so earthy are brought onboard. A mother and her  teenagers sit down beside me. She smiles, we talk. This brother and sister are so good to each other. Dinner in the dining car is an old-fashioned treat. Big windows and white cotton table cloths. I find myself seated family style, with a father and son. Some bicycle race has given them rare time together. As night comes on, the conductor makes a sleeping time call. The lights are dimmed. In the early hours, walking aisle after aisle and car to car I see humanity asleep in all its quirky loveliness. Tanned toddlers, sprawled almost upside down. Hair mussed up, wearing bows meant for grandparents. Graying heads, long accustomed to leaning into one another, rest peacefully. One young man, a poet with a crown of dreads stands alone with his thoughts, looking   out at the stars.   Jostled awake now, I see the The Big Dipper perfectly placed as a child would draw it, twinkling in my smudged window. A haze of soft pink light signals this new day. All of us, coming home. Human angels, each here for one another.
0
Aug 29, 2015
Aug 29, 2015 at 8:16 PM UTC
Lamy to L.A.
Adobe and dust, a place so quiet. One grandfather cottonwood, leaves rustling, listens with us for the next train. Drought has dried this land beyond any living person's memory. Now, a cooling wind gathers power. The sky over the old mountains darkens. As the train pulls out from the antique station, a single fork of lightning frames itself in the small rear window. The silvered tracks put distance rapidly behind us. Opening out now before us, sunlight on the High Desert. We turn to see starched white cumulous clouds, absent for months float by, flat bottoms casting healing shadows over the parched land. In Albuquerque, we stop for new passengers. It's days after the 4th of July; families have been visiting. Roasted green chilies, their fragrance so earthy are brought onboard. A mother and her  teenagers sit down beside me. She smiles, we talk. This brother and sister are so good to each other. Dinner in the dining car is an old-fashioned treat. Big windows and white cotton table cloths. I find myself seated family style, with a father and son. Some bicycle race has given them rare time together. As night comes on, the conductor makes a sleeping time call. The lights are dimmed. In the early hours, walking aisle after aisle and car to car I see humanity asleep in all its quirky loveliness. Tanned toddlers, sprawled almost upside down. Hair mussed up, wearing bows meant for grandparents. Graying heads, long accustomed to leaning into one another, rest peacefully. One young man, a poet with a crown of dreads stands alone with his thoughts, looking   out at the stars.   Jostled awake now, I see the The Big Dipper perfectly placed as a child would draw it, twinkling in my smudged window. A haze of soft pink light signals this new day. All of us, coming home. Human angels, each here for one another.
Continue reading...
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