Amtrak Can Take You Back

I was an Amtrak rail passenger,

Enjoying a private suite on the train…

I unpacked a five-liter box wine,

To attempt forgetting your name.

The rail cars banged a rhythm,

A clickity clack on the railroad track,

Reminding me of years ago,

And the youth, I’ll never get back.

I passed through Salt Lake City,

Then breezed right through Wyoming,

I stopped once in Montana,

Then more solitary roaming.

I drank my way through Michigan ,

Arriving, awake on the East Coast…

I still felt quite uninspired,

No joy, nothing to toast. 

An ‘aha’ moment at the station

Made clear the magic of Amtrak…

This journey defines who I am.

The next train can take me back.

Depoe Bay Fishernan

In Depoe Bay, the fishing boats,

Aren’t allowed to enter safe port...

Forced to ride out the weather,  

In storms with little support.

Coleman lanterns light the boats,

Bobbing violently in the night…

The golden glow in the distance,

Disappears, then comes to sight.

The wives look over the stone wall,

With binoculars in hand…

At the shore, under umbrellas,

Dreading tragedies far from land.

The lucky buy a new car,

Selling a boatful of fresh crab…

Others dream of the life preserver,

Their loved one couldn’t grab.

The merchants pricing fish on land,

Calculate the cheapest cost…

Never a thought for the fishermen

Or a prayer for any man lost.

There is a memorial in Depoe Bay.

Saluting the fisherman’s glory…

The brass memorials, name the names

Yet never tell each fisherman’s story.

Perfect Crevice on Earth

So many thoughts and feelings,

This photograph brings to mind…

I am over whelmed with sadness;

It’s a quiet peace I’ll never find.

It seems I’ve spent a lifetime,

Searching peaceful places to hide…

This man found his niche in the world,

I had to find my peace inside.