boxcars and blue sky
by the abandoned warehouse
sidelined in the sun

reliance on signs
can leave one in a quandary
when the signs have all come down

what is this place?
at one time
its identity was
written on its face
it was labeled

what happens
when we rely on labels
for identification? what happens
to relationship? when we learn the name
of a tree from a textbook do we know the tree?
what do you suppose would happen if instead we sat
beneath the tree twice every day for a whole year
without presuming to know its name?

wandering around this building
for half an hour with only my camera
and my curiosity, I have a much better feel
for who this building is, a feel arising
from the dance of relationship
something no sign or label
would ever be able to provide

the main line through town
rendering an auspicious sighting
even as I wend my way back to the car
after a stroll past the short line
whose southern terminal
lies just to the left
of this frame
trains come and go
the magic of the rails endures

ivy in arborescence
good for the ivy
bad for the tree
on this day
good for me

this intersection
of plant life and building
shows the one falling apart and
the other having needed trimming
to keep its growth in check while
the vine in the background
has already found
a new route
to phototropic success
on its way to the very pinnacle
surreptitious advance is an element
of its path of least resistance
life makes path out of obstacle
as it continues to flourish

for lonely looking buildings
the colorful framing
against the neutral walls
does a lot to suggest vitality
and even some sense of welcome
the mailbox and the blinds suggest
people spend time in this place
though I cannot call to mind
ever seeing activity here
or cars parked outside
I am humbled to find
how much happens
beyond the scope
of my awareness

I don’t know when I last saw a caboose
not only painted up properly
but also in service on a rail line
walking past this one with my camera
I thought of what it might be like
to work on this short line
a childhood dream
of working on the railroad
potentially fulfilled decades after
any real hopes were still entertained

how
I’d like to see
this plow in action
flying through the snow
what a sight it must be to see
one enormous snow angel
with its wings spread
sending the snow flying
and leaving its impression
a big kid playing in the snow

second hand engines
part of life on a short line
full scale kitbashing

on the one hand these spare parts
from other larger railroads

are old and used up
while on the other hand they
have life left in them

restore old engines to life
and keep this short line alive

textures in contrast
lines converging in the sky
worth more than a glance