9:07

i paused at the stoplight

my boot was resting lightly on the brake

the train had no time to pause

gathering speed, pulling forward

the catch of the wheels on the tracks was intoxicating

streetlights were bold and searing, staring through the breaks between cars

was the conductor half asleep at the wheel?

dreaming of his wife's soft palms and her good coffee

the scream of the horn demanded attention

my reverie was lost, no longer did the lights entrance me

their cobra stare felt unsettling

i wanted to get closer

the river was calm, singing a lullaby to the houses on the river bank

each window was pocket sized

butter light tumbled out to land on the river's wrinkles

carp were dancing underneath

languid fins and lazy mouths

to a waltz our dished ears could never hope to hear

was your family accounted for?

safe in their beds with the doors closed

were you arguing with your wife?

keen words to gut each other

laying yourself out in a warm slippery mess

staining your shirt

sitting on your old leather couch

cracked and peeling

sunburnt, tugging on the cloth

pulling the insides out

hoping she would walk back through the door

tonight you might be drunk

cradling the toilet and praying for redemption

slurred and mulled, aged salvation

i do not wish to burn in the mortal fire!

while i stare through my filmy windshield

at the royal sky with pin-thin stars

i press my fingers in the ditch of my arm
i feel my pulse panic and leap

i cautiously prod the seam
im searching for the spot where the thread was tied off

once i find it, i plan on yanking it out
a swift motion, if i hesitate all i will feel is a slow burn

tonight is not a night for burning

i want to be the dust on your bookshelf
i want to be the feathers on the crane
i want to be the last train leaving town

tonight is a night to resonate