Watching the train go by

Watching the train go by

As the train passed

I remembered my friend in Cave Spring

Who would be next to hear it

She is a mature person

Having seen many more years

Than I.

And I remembered

What she told me,

“Boy” she said.

(She always called me boy)

“I know I am old.

And I am definitely a lady

But, Boy”

She said, shaking her finger at me

“If you call me an old lady, I shall slap you.”

And she paused and her mind wandered.

“When I was a little girl”

She said softly

“When I was a little girl, I loved the train

And I came out every morning and jumped

Up and down and giggled”

She jumped up and down and giggled

Just to show me.

“And then, during the war,

I watched the cars go by with the young men

On their way to the other ocean

And the horrors of the war

In the Pacific.

And I knew I had loved ones there

And I stood and cried for them.”

And she shed a tear.

“And the not then but now

Father of my children was over there.

And no one came on the return train.

But I watched the train and waited.”

“To this day”

She said

“To this very day, I watch the train go by

In the mornings

And I think of all the days

And all the years that I have watched it

And.”  She paused.

“And I stand and wave

Even though there are no more passengers

To wave back.”

 “Maybe everyone thinks I’m crazy

Maybe they are right.

I don’t care.

You hear that, don’t you?

You hear me, don’t you, Boy?”

Now, every morning,

I remember her.

I wave at the train as the dawn breaks

But no one is there

To think I’m crazy.

And that’s all right with me.

John the Plant Man is the narrator of the book “Requiem for a Redneck.”

As usual, I would just love for you click here to go to Amazon and purchase the ebook edition of my wonderful book, Requiem for a Redneck to go on your Kindle. I have also noticed that Amazon now has a free Kindle app for iphones and tablets. Is that cool or what?