On the edge of change from
the every day
the place to which I’ve been
forever rushin
on my own on the Empire Builder
headin lickitysplit toward
the fabled myth
of
the American west
mad gray afternoons await me
raw, dank, bone marrow wind
Woke at dawn
somewhere east of Rugby
North Dakota covered in snow
imaginin ourselves to be
45 minutes behind schedule
complicitly caught in the illusional
drag of time
when in fact occupying
the great here
and
ever present now
2:45 PM west of
Glasgow
still behind schedule I’m sure
Montana actin like North Dakota
large isolated farms separated by
large isolated space
ring neck pheasant crossing a frozen stream
walkin on water like Zen Master Jesus
passin through another podunk town
name unknown to me
mountains of rusting and rusted
cars, trucks, farm machinery
loitering without permit or purpose
in snow-covered yards and fields
decomposing heaps of rotting metal
disappearing molecule by molecule like
the ’85 Toyota pickup
in the tidewater at Tokeland
all machinery predisposed to
the transitory existence
we bein no different
consisting of even less durable material
4:00 PM sun goin down
on yon horizon
not completely
not yet but movin in that direction
cattle likewise movin toward home in nose-to-ass lines
of varying membership
intuitive intuition
group mindlessness
driven by darkness and hunger
6:22 PM passin
through yet another nameless village
not important enough to bother stopping at
expectin now to arrive in Havre later than expected
by two hours and twenty one minutes
the smokers are desperate and will get their fix
in dark coldness
we’ve lost the light but not the snow
feelin sleepy but nappin not a good idea tho
I’ve had a long day and train ridin on my ass
is hard work
if I were a smoker or a toker I coulda
taken some breaks but
I’m not so I didn’t it not bein worth
stepping off for merely the breath of fresh air
and exercize
into frozen clouds of exhaustive toxity
10:52 PM pullin out
of Minot…why not?
the train bein fuled up
the smokers bein satisfied for now
can’t get to there without leavin here
be it time or place
and now upon happenstance bein
the very time and place for
some sleep action
I agree with myself that it’s time for
my sleepytime wine
under a full moon the train
like a multi-segmented caterpillar
creeps westward
where I’ll re-live in some ways what once was
the me of then havin no relationship to
the me of now
___________________________________
Dan Ryan is a regular contributor to this blog. He will appear in AlteredScale.com issue 3, out in March.
After spending an extensive number of years attempting to save the world from itself while living in Olympia, Washington, I follwed my sweetie to Minnie's Apple Crisp in July, 2012. Determined to approach life from a more obtuse angle, I am now a thoroughly committed Zen slacker, practicing guilt-free attachment to hanging out in coffee shops, reading all the wrong books, writing poetry, and enjoying other sensual pleasures with my partner. Dan Ryan will appear in AlteredScale.com 3, out in March.
After spending an extensive number of years attempting to save the world from itself while living in Olympia, Washington, I follwed my sweetie to Minnie's Apple Crisp in July, 2012. Determined to approach life from a more obtuse angle, I am now a thoroughly committed Zen slacker, practicing guilt-free attachment to hanging out in coffee shops, reading all the wrong books, writing poetry, and enjoying other sensual pleasures with my partner. Dan Ryan will appear in AlteredScale.com 3, out in March.
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