Boxcars at Dusk

Rails thump rhythmically; hulking swaying boxcars loom against the evening sky.

Brief glimpses of light show between the cars

Beneath their great square bellies a window of light reveals geese

Visible through a bright band of sea, they swim quietly.

Pressed down by heavy loads, the wooden ties creak and shift,

the ground trembles, the rails groan.

At last the train judders away, shrinks to a single red light flashing at the rear.

The noise of its passage fades fast,

Leaves only sea and sky, lit with late light.

The geese, in tight formation, swim slowly, honk gently, face west.