we walk through thunder,
and there are drawn stormclouds
across your cheeks, brow; like train-
tracks to nowhere, and i’ll hop
the next boxcar, simple as un-
wanting, follow it til i find
the sun buried in your irides.
this metaphor is a railroad:
straight, the slow
unraveling of sudden horizons.
a friend tells me
the story of the red-
tail hawk attacked
sequentially by two crows
and a mockingbird. i
wonder if it’s because they know
jealousy like you do, see its predatory
threat atop every lamppost and
telephone pole.
raindrops like fat clay pigeons hiss
against rusted rails, tear-on-trestle,
black-feathered bullets of omen:
where will you be
when the lightning comes down?
the tenth muse 
One of your better gems – way to go my friend.
thanks, George. 🙂 it has been too long since i’ve seen you at our various poetry functions… or heard any new writing, mmm?
You use RR a lot. Have you seen film “Emperor of the North ” ?
Carl, i have not. maybe i should? i live close to several tracks, and so the trains seem to color a lot of my poems…
I loved this – the metaphor of the railroad and the slow unraveling of circumstances. Great.
thank ya kindly, mosk. always happy to see your gravatar ’round here. 🙂
nice…some really great touches in this joanna….this metaphor is a railroad…the allusion to the story of the birds…and if they know jealousy like you….evocative, real…like it much…
‘preciate it, brian. feel like i’ve been out of it with the writing and posting recently, but that’s passing. seems a while since you’ve been up to rva, no? hope all’s well & whatever sinus infection that was is gone by now.
peace,
j
Stormy. Cool transformations of images — clouds, tracks, the birds. The undercurrent of dark feelings, makes one wonder how things will be. Enjoyed this.
thanks. i’ve been big on birds in particular recently, not sure why. there is a definite darkness to this one though.
A great poem, Joanna. Love it 🙂
Love this! This year I have what I call the Indigenous ear for birds, notice the shadows of the big ones on the ground before I look up, etc. The sound of trains I can remember back the farthest. I was asked often to check out the Purple martins of Shockoe Bottom last summer. Some reason I wasn’t interested. If you have the time please let me know when this starts again if it does?
though i didn’t see it, i remember hearing about the purple martins last year, but i don’t remember when it was.
i’ll keep my ears open!