railroad men

by horace p sternwall

railroad bill railroad bill had a dog named harry and a cat named phil railroad bob railroad bob never drank whiskey except on the job railroad joe railroad joe got up in the morning and took it slow railroad mike railroad mike never flew an airplane or rode a bike railroad tom railroad tom hated his pappy but loved his mom railroad jim railroad jim played poker with the sheriff who cheated him railtoad bill railroad bill caught a big old catfish down by the mill railroad john railroad john never came home before the break of dawn railroad dan railroad dan the railroad was the railroad but he was the man railroad men railroad men ask for eleven they will give you ten mothers, look out the window at a duck and a hen don’t raise your sons to be railroad men

paths... (5)

by human being

illustrations by rhoda penmarq and human being

fifth of five parts

to begin at the beginning, click here

34 if the path is blocked by stones i'll become water بر سر راهم اگر سنگ بود آب می شوم if the path is blocked by water i'll become the wind بر سر راهم اگر آب بود باد می شوم if the path is blocked by the wind i'll disappear into thin air بر سر راهم اما اگر باد بود نیست می شوم 35 my heart throbs to the rhythm of the path 36 along the path i always find some generous hands growing among thistles 37 sometimes i sit on a rock by the road and watch people pass by she's a beggar, some say and throw some coins for me i pick them up one by one to watch then i throw them back to their owners but they never land in their hands or at their feet in midair they change into butterflies and fly off she's a trickster, some say if you happen to sit on a rock by the road ask it and it will tell you who i really am 38 i never leave a trail on the path to find the way back home all paths are circles all goings are returns 39 i turn and turn yet i go upper and upper my mind gathers 'n gains my heart joyfully unlearns 40 just when the path turns in re verse you find the secrets of the uni verse