A. A. Hedge Coke
For Evangeline Apache
- snow on the coal
car white on
black, brown,
red and orange-yellow
steel forged for
rail the box
cars' siding
walls cross
intersection pass
Cerrillos and St. Fran
reading signs
translating message
between lines
courage, mystique
Union Pacific
Santa Fe Southern
rail road
sound resounds
echos clang
bangs jarring
abrupt clamoring
wheels slide
steel bar wooden
beam laced with
creosote you cannot
burn for wood no matter
how cold you become in
winter the fumes'
noxious choke breath
away at night on
unfamilar and ignorant
mighty immense
rail laid into
track supporting cars,
boxes, passengers, freight
trains ancient photographs
document paintings
Taos Peoples
advertise Santa Fe
Rail home to
Southwestern Indians
to Cowboys
to Spainards
to rich white, white
Anglos including
Georgia O'Keefe
or was that
Kit Carson
selling off those
so personal intricate
pieces of art and
artworks jewelry
traditional clothing
on the plaza walks
hanging over a clothing
rail iron rack suspending
works and wares
above cloths, blankets, rugs
under display
earthen ware
tender silver pieces
no not silver, greenbacks
representing gold
supposedly in mints
from mines supported by
rail from long, long ago
riding by those
incredible beasts and creatures
frozen or turned to dust
and stone in another time
those that the anthros
think formations
they watch with great
no, enormous
humor they stare at the
rail being ridden by
so so many for so long now
waiting patiently knowing
all will pass as did they
in the exact measure
designated span length
bridging rivers with vast
rich flowing, raging histories
succumbed to dust
arroyos and such ravines
playing havoc on the telepathic
sensory perceptions
relaying focus to
perspective in pointillistic
existence waters remain
unscathed away from the effects
on the environment from the
rail ever moving onward
even in repair and renewal
directions four cardinal point
ambush on beauty
not so very distant from here
where we observe this
masterpiece in steel composition
harboring ghost
hobos from eras all but dim
in view recent recollection
practice losing legs to catch a
rail near the New Mexico
School for the Deaf
crosswalk where
sculptures intrigue a better
answer to The End of the Trail
showing rather an Indian man
raising his hands high
including buffalo skull
in prayer his horse
following the preliminary
works' show of defeat
however hope
overrides defeat always
somehow even here with
ear to ground in center
Santa Fe even here
hope is here on this
lonesome familiar
almost dated
yet never defeated
rail.
You can hear the poet read Rail in a RealAudio file. If you do not have the RealPlayer installed, visit RealNetworks. From Neon Powwow edited by Anna Lee Walters, Northland Press.
© 1993 A. A. Hedge Coke
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