The poetry prompt at dVerse Poets Pub today was to write a poem involving trai_n_n_n_n_n_n_n_n_s. I immediately thought of the song “Down there by the Train” by Johnny Cash, and then I remembered several other songs by Johnny that involved trains. Some are well-known songs, others are more obscure. I decided to write a poem in response to the prompt in honor of Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, and his many perspectives on trains.
Trains, by Johnny
Johnny played and sang
of trains
some I know he rode
others were just
stories that he told
Freight train
carrying pig iron, not pigs
sneaky train driver
avoiding a toll on
the Rock Island Line
cocky, ’til the toll
came due
The lonesome sound
of a distant train
the mourning of a prisoner
Folsom Prison Blues
overwhelming his soul
choices of youth
defining his fate
Riding home on the train
anticipating Dixieland
Hey Porter, cries the passenger
When will we be home?
Now he smells
the southern breeze
off the train he goes
Train whistle blowin’
a line everybody knows
the Orange Blossom Special
beckoning to warmth and sun
away from city life
riding to freedom
Far from home
not a penny to his name
Waitin’ for a Train
A little money would grease
a brakeman’s palm
and a ride it would mean
but 1,000 miles from home
is where he’ll stay
The final train
all can ride free
though the cost was great
passengers well known,
the infamous and the ordinary
are Down there by the Train
Johnny rode home
I was going to post a video of “Down there by the Train” with this, but in my search on YouTube I found this great live video of “Rock Island Line” with a terrific intro about trains by Johnny and decided to include it instead. I hope you like it.
