Railroad cars rattle to an uncomfortable stop. The heartless metal boxcars release a few late night traveling souls. The aroma of pitch and diesel fuel permeates cool air. Chameleon eyes survey temporary grounds for displaced scarecrows. Torn outer coats, shirts without buttons, uneasy hats all possess that insistent hunger common to all. They walk to … More FALLEN ANGELS
It was a train in the sky. A thunderous ballad of unscripted percussions of warm and cold colliding; an influence without equal. The oncoming front sounded like a thousand warriors. running hard. Leaves turned over. Windows slammed shut. Animals sought shelter. A sequence of distant low frequency explosions pressed the air. There is no resolve … More FURIOUS
There is no relief when regarding the loss of time. Festivals pass without notice like nameless night trains. The moon offers no concern for words and unkempt phrases. Seasons are unacquainted with your sorrow or joy, or the bruises received. Whispers and half closed eyes remain suspicious in the deepening fray of night when your … More WASTE NOT
I see visions of tomorrow. Clubs with open doors, red seats and low smoky lights; melting drinks and bowls of peanuts. Freight trains rumble by with freeloaders hanging on as winds rustle their shirts and jackets and hair without hats. Fast talking and slow moving salesmen hawk everything, especially what they don’t own. Kids … More NEVER FAILS
Street lights sign in as dusk resigns to darkness. Scattered shadows of leaves dance on midnight sidewalks. Homes sleep in silence. Dark breezes lift curtain edges, creating life from worn cloth. Porch lights dot the galaxy of streets. Picket fences keep strangers away but ghosts pass through freely. A train whistle, distant yet sharp, bleeds … More MIDNIGHT
The train lunged in and out of order. Heads swayed like displaced seaweed mocking gravity. The stars and moon remained in place. Thick metal wheels turn with conviction. There is no shame for those asleep, leaning onto windows, newspapers for pillows. The miles create a low hum. The engine possesses a pure heart. White smoke … More NIGHT CRAWLERS
The last train holds seats for strangers. Yesterday’s newspapers catch at the ankles of the sleep and possessed. The rhythm of steel wheels creaks loudly into the corners, alarming no one. Sinners pray for home. Saints sleep past their stop. Passing city lights reflect in a moment of blur, revealing sad eyes and lonely streets; … More TICKETS PLEASE
There is no wrong side of the river or the tracks; the sun and rain blesses both side. Nickels and dimes build into a wish. Lightening brightens a dark road. A stray dog avoids strangers and empty pockets. Trains own their sound. At the end of the line it coughs up the last of weary … More ALL AROUND
The overhead rumbling of streetcars on the West Side Line has long passed, along with passengers wearing hats, workmen, excited children, women with shopping bags and lovers whispering. The city has entered an era of new changes while others fight for what was. Trees, weeds and scattered flowers keep company with abandoned tracks and switch … More WEST SIDE LINE
Roads are scars between mountains; oaths for angels without wings. Strangers welcome the curves with shadows and the gray of dusks coverings. Gas stations close at six. Stay in the car with the windows rolled up. Hitchhikers have no place to go. There’s a riddle between each town hidden under a rock. Headlights … More RACING TRAINS
Roger Singer 