Passenger Trains In Early Evening

We watch silver passenger trains
Pull into the antiquated brick station.
You watch me leave under
Nights dawn With one way tickets
And
Reservations.

I speak and tell of you (of love),
Spelling your last name
Letter by letter, one at a time,
Illuminating each with an
Animals name, carefully
Enunciated, Ferret to Rat,
Like spelling out in
Broken English how I am
Making myself
Culpable.

Voices still carry, escaping
Our mouths like spat vinegar.
Turning voices around-- our voices,
Like the precious fulcrum
Of the unknown universe.

I never heard you.

I would die if I ever gazed
Through your cracked telescope lense
To track the movement of Ursa Minor.
I shake like a tooth ache when
I see what you mean

To me.

And yet I still think I am the
The man who loves you.
There's a smell like turpentine
Or bourbon vapors hung
Between the telescope lens
and everything I see.

We played at Apollyon's curse
(A Cure)
Like checkers with each other.
Why did we birth the spectre of blame,
And feel compelled to fill in
The certificate with
Each others names?


copyright 2006 Samuel Lewis Nelson