Westbound light pushers, Bluefield, WV, January 2, 2016

Green Light

Green light.
"Clear."

GO.

Into the fading day,
Into the falling night. 

Against the sky,
   yellow and red.

Go west,
   westbound.
Into the sunset,
   like the hero
   in a Western movie.

Follow.
Fade. 
GO. 


Amtrak 50, the eastbound Cardinal, Grandview, WV, October 29, 2017

Quicksilver

Rain 
   (and snow)
And the Land of Mist and Fog
Of towering peaks
   and mysterious hollows
Of rushing rivers
   and silent trees.

Viewed from on high
   -- a grand view --
a bead of Quicksilver
   hurries on its way.

Modern
   and sleek
Fast
   and fleet. 
Out of place
   here,
   amongst the mountains,
      ancient and forever.

Quicksilver
    in the Land of Mist and Fog.

Eastbound local V37, Dublin, Virginia, December 21, 2016

The Day is Done

The day is done, 
   and comes now
The dying of the light
   and the birth of the night.

Ragged sky,
   and cold.
Small town
   and the day is done.

Heading home,
Local,
   hassled.
Odd man out,
   the dodger of double stacks.
Heading home,
   with the catch
   of the day.

Tomorrow
  the day is new
  and comes
The dying of the night
  and the birth of the light.
Heading out,
   with work to be done.
Cycle,
   unending.

But for now,
The day is done.


Eric MillerPoetry and Photographs Copyright 2018

8 thoughts on “Lyric rails

  1. Eric, the poetry captures the spirit of railroading perfectly. I especially liked Day is Done, with the description of the local being odd man out and being kept out of the way of the double stacks. And as you write, it really is a cycle, with many things always the same, but just enough different to keep things interesting.

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