A Cry In The Night

 The loneliness came
on the wind through the rain
mournful tones sang a forlorn cry

spreading across fields
brought forth by the wheels
steam billowing out in the night

as the sound came to me
in my mind I could see
romantic evenings enjoyed

long lonely nights
alone with the light
running along the rails

the old four four two
had a trick or two
if you tickled her gauges just right

stoking her belly
so hot and smelly
yet feeling at once so alive  

the wind in your hair
as you contentedly stare
out along the path of the line

the little wooden station
sate people and engines
an oasis if one's ever seen

unloading the horde
and taking on more
conductor calls"All Aboard"

with a shunt and a spin
the wheels begin
the journey resumes again

again there's the sound
a cry in the night
that takes me back in time

when as a young man
I traveled the land
in search of a piece of mind