Tracks by Joey Ng
Row upon row of rails and arches
Serve to narrow in on my point of view.
There it lies, chambered like the ball of a musket
Waiting to barrel down as it pleases.
The switch is flipped and the sparks surge,
Running livid through the crooked wires.
With a thunderous roar the ball is
Sent careening past, row after row.
Its impact creates a great division
And the very pigment is drained,
Siphoned between faded remnants
And the saturated youth.
Among that which still stood, a red brick building
Flanked by terraced trees of all shades green.
Eight silent stone sentries perch on the arch,
Over hedges and a eucalyptus tree.
On this lawn there is an enclosure
Of the lightest pink flower bushes.
They surround a sapling at gentle height,
Seeing that it is doubled over
With the weight of the sun’s rays
Underneath the sapling’s meager shadow
Lie the fruits of its labor,
The single spot on which it cultivates,
Which it will deliver tooth and sabre.
Wow, Joey—I really like this one!
ReplyDeleteI like how, while you incorporate a fair amount of literal description in your poem, there are still times I’m left imagining, wondering what you were looking at. I also thought you used some really great descriptive language. I thought about trying to quote a particular passage that stood out, but honestly, I think it’s all pretty cool—good job!
~Ayla Rogers