by Jacquie Pearce and Michael Dylan Welch
First published in Blithe Spirit 28:3, August 2018, page 37. Also published in Last Train Home, Vancouver, British Columbia: Pondhawk Press, 2021, page 176. Originally written in November of 2017. Video created in March of 2021.
autumn night—
the train whistle
enters my dream Jacquie
first frost
sparkling the tracks Michael
ticket for one—
a few yellow leaves
left on the platform Jacquie
bare branches—
a child’s wave
from the dining car Michael
through the railroad crossing
a gust of wind Jacquie
graffiti on a freight train
from another country . . .
harvest moon Michael