Friday, December 9, 2011

Choices


Taking my son's forgotten lunch to school today, I found myself stopped at the local train.
The little town is cut in two by tracks.
When the train comes, there's no going around.
One must wait.



Some drivers get frustrated, some downright mad.
Me? I love the train.
It has such an old timey feel.
The rumbling, the metal scraping, the thunderous weight
all feels strangely soothing to me.

I love that it makes everyone stop.
For a minute, sometimes five, everyone is required to stop.
How that time is spent is purely choice.

Some may cuss and fume.
Others dance in their car and crank the tunes.
Me?
I people watch.
I study the art of graffiti.



I laugh at the amateurs.




I bask in the time spent at a stand still with my fellow drivers.
We are in it together.
This crazy trip called life. 
Each traveler chose this road at this time
and ended up at this spot
together
for a moment
or two
or ten.

I acknowledge the other drivers with a nod, a smile.
I turn up my radio, tap my fingers, bob my head.
I snap pictures.


The train passes. The lights stop. The bar lifts.
Travelers back on their merry way.
Perhaps it will make someone late.
Perhaps the pause in time saves someone from a wreck that would have been.
Perhaps it allowed someone time to think, to cry, to rejoice.
Perhaps it sparked inspiration in others as it did in me.

There's just something about a train.



8 comments:

Robin said...

I looooooove the way you think!! No point in fighting the things we can do nothing about. Just sit back and make the most of the moment!
I love trains too!! And graffiti!

Glenn Stenson said...

Catch one next summer and head west!

Jennifer Richardson said...

Yeah, that's the way
to travel light...let it be
and dance along:)
Love the way you choose
to see it.
It's poetry, really.
-Jen

Caroline said...

shoot mommy...LOL! Ahhh true about how the train makes us stop. I like that, as long as I am not in a hurry. :)

John said...

What a great philosophical view, I like it. A great song too!

Salem Witch Child said...

The town I used to live in had a train that separated the town in half. I hated it! Use to live by the train. At 3:33 every morning one goes through. I really hated when it would stop, back up, move forward, stop back up, well you get the gist. They'd do that for a solid hour sometimes and never let anyone pass. No way around it either!

I'm glad you can take some time to enjoy life at a standstill. Not many can do that!

Elena said...

Great song. And thank goodness I am not the only one who feels like that about trains! I'm usually smirking, lower the music to hear the train sounds, taking pics w/ my crappy camera phone, studying the trees along the track. I.LOVE.TRAINS. And love that you love em too. Great post.

Jess said...

Although there's only one day a week that I have a reason to be in town, the train does affect me too. Unfortunately they're often switching tracks and can block up the roads for twenty minutes or more and I have to pick up my kid when he's done with therapy. And our humble small town does have an underpass, and it's got a lot of cool character.

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