| Destination out of mind I leapt aboard the empty train And left my memories behind To wither in the wind and rain. When daylight blue and midnight black Would shine in through the open door The granite fast beside the track Became an incandescent shore. The shadows hid me by the wall When stopping in each tiny town And knowing at the whistle call I'd lay my tired body down. But once when slowing at an arc A hand appeared to grip the side And, moving through the inky dark, I helped him on to join the ride. He asked me just where I was at I said, "I'm here, as you are too." He said, "I'm not so sure of that." I saw at once that this was true. So even through the fog we sped Still grasping firmly to the rail And, as if toying with my head, He said, "These brakes are doomed to fail." I told him, "No, we'll do all right." He couldn't help but give a scoff. For shrieks erupted in the night, The train lost touch and thundered off. Our bodies slammed from side to side The wooden splinters piercing skin And through it all the stranger cried, "We're dying from within, within!" When all was silence, all was still, I lifted up my bloodied head And let my eyes adjust until I saw the stranger lying dead. So climbing from the splintered wood And pondering why I'd survived, I realized that all was good For I'd arrived, for I'd arrived. |
| Destination Out of Mind |
| by Joe Fierstos |