I have to be a train
by Ann Erickson
I have to be a train
like heavy iron
inexorable
stopping only
for those who flag
me down
(the burning newspaper
in the cornfield)
or those
who wait
at the stations
& my heart
is movement
my only softness
displacement
& my only courtesy
my dining cars
& sleeping berths
& club car where
the very fine
golden vision
& smoky smells
are memory
& dream
Poetry, short prose and reviews by Ann Erickson have appeared in more than a hundred small press journals, particularly between 1989 and 2000, as well as in anthologies. She edited the national literary quarterly tight magazine over those years and participated in performances and poetry readings. Currently Ms. Erickson shares her writing and brush painting online and with friends. Her volume of selected poems, Letters To The Sky, is available directly from the author.
