April 4: Train on a Bridge

 

Train on a Stone Bridge
by Tom King

I used to build bridges when I was a kid.
I used to make them first from blocks,
Then from Legos, an Erector Set and finally
A dedicated bridge-building set my Matchbox cars fit on.

When I was two I got a Lionel train - OScale
My Dad played with it all Christmas day.
I loved my train. Mom used to plug it up for me.
I would lie on the floor and watch it go round.

I'd set my face by a curve and watch the train
Race toward me, then turn at the last second
And flash by with all the cars in tow
And disappear into a painted stamped metal tunnel.

One day, Mom was next door talking to the neighbors
And I wanted to plug the transformer in.
I thought, at 3, I was big enough to do it myself.
And in the process discovered what electricity is.

Mom cut the cord that day and my train became a pusher.
 Mom knew I could not be trusted to resist plugging
My electric trains with its painted tin tunnel,
And all the bridges and crossings I was planning.

I still love watching trains, big ones crossing bridges.
Stone bridges, truss bridges, suspension bridges
Watching them cross deep chasms on complicated
Wooden structures creaking and groaning with the weight.

Trains and bridges, tunnels and stretches of track
Winding along rivers, snaking up mountain passes,
Dragging a hundred cars behind a big black engine
Pouring great clouds of smoke into the sky.

In my garage there's a big board upon which
I plan to build mountains, tunnels, and most important of all -
Bridges - trusses, cantilever, stone arches and suspensions.
But, I'll be careful with the plug so no on euts my cord.

© 2022