Boxcars at Dusk

Photo:
Boxcars pass White Rock in evening







Thump, thump, thump go the rails
as hulking boxcars block the evening light.
Beneath their great bellies, geese calmly swim in a bright band of sea.

Pressed down by heavy tankers the ties creak and shift,
the ground trembles, the rails groan.

Brief glimpses of light show between, below the bellies of the cars
a bright band of sea where geese swim calmly.

The train has passed, its single red light flashing at the rear.
With its retreats, the dramatic lessening of sound is infinite relief.

As the train judders away, the sea and sky are lit with late light.
The geese, in tight formation, swim slowly, honk gently, face west.