The Trainyard
Winter befalls the trainyard
Where engines come to retire
Icicles dangle from a signal post, mangled
Flickering bulb soon to expire
Then come the sparks and the grinding
The frictional shriek of the rail
Wheels against steel, the racket conceals
A train hopper’s agonized wail
Fallen from his boxcar
Drunken to fight the frost
A piteous mess, in mortal distress
Stinking of blood and exhaust
Hand over hand, slowly crawling
Dragging his ruptured entrails
Indifferent trains go on hauling
Chugging along down the rails
Back and forth, metal on metal
Orchestra of grinding and screams
A frozen nightmare in which nobody cares
When a man comes apart at the seams
No one speaks up, if they notice
That a life has been destroyed
That’s what enables the narrow time tables
Keeping trainyard employees employed
So ends the life of a vagrant
Crushed between rail and machine
Just-in-time shipping, frozen flesh ripping
As the engine atop him builds steam
Not for one life, nor a thousand
Will operations be compromised
Worth an iota compared to the quota,
That schedules need not be revised
Blood goes into one end, Gold comes out the other
An unceremonious trade
But gold loses some of its luster
Once you’ve seen how the sausage is made