FreightTrainLullaby

Freight Train Lullaby

On lonely nights when the dark is deep,

And all the world

Is fast asleep

I hear a whistle in the black

Of freight train,

on a faraway track........

The mournful whistle, wrapped in gloom

Deepens the night's shade

in my room

And stirs my soul with visions wide

Of speeding train

and dark country-side.........

Ensconced in a boxcar, I'd like to be --

Watching the whole world

drift by me:

Tenement and mountain shack,

Infinity

of railroad track.

The lonely whistle sounds again

As the train

goes slowly 'round the bend,

To disappear beyond the trees

And wail again

in another breeze.

- - - - - - - - - - -

A Walk With My Dad -- the Bronx, 1951

When things are bleak and I want to frown

I shade my eyes and I look straight down

A distant street from old Bronx days

Where my Dad and I walked in sun and haze.

He held my hand, I was only five

And it felt so good to be alive

The grass was green, the sidewalks bright;

I'd run and skip with all my might!

Osage Orange trees would drop their fruit

In the autumn, it was such a hoot

To see these huge "limes" on the sidewalks there

All wrinkled and strange....little Ace would stare!

But I'd skip and I'd sing on those sidewalks gleaming

With fresh washed sunlight -- almost like dreaming!

And Dad was always solid, there -

Those were the times with not a care!

To my right -- a big fence and a beautiful lawn

And -- piano music, so sweet and strong!

Such glorious notes soaring in the air --

The Institute for the Blind was situated there.

I marveled at the sightless song

That has played in my memory for so long

Such beauty from one who could never see

Made more beauty surrounding us, my Daddy and me

So when I feel like I want to frown.

(Hey, Ace, don't let life get you down!)

I remember the beauty of that far-away song

And my Daddy and me near that beautiful lawn.

Bless you, unknown pianist who dwelled in shade

I want to tell you that you made

Such a difference in my life back then

I give thanks to you, when I "Remember When".

Azar "Ace" Attura

Pelham Parkway 1946 -- 1961 -- God Bless the Bronx!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Monday's Journey To Friday

Catching the bus. Gotta wake up first.

Webs of dreams cling to me like blankets. Semi-comatose wakeup call.

Feed the cats. No time to feed me.

Larry's Cookies for breakfast again. Four creams in Hazelnut Coffee.

Such are my morning mega vitamins.

Waiting for bus. Still asleep on my feet.

Discreetly making sure I'm fully dressed.

Cool today. No time to zip up jacket.

Bus'll be warm. Natch.

Hello hello, sit down, read read, pull buzzer. Stumble out rear door

Did you know if you hold the rear door open, the bus can't move?

(Unless the driver hits the override). Good way to get back at nasty drivers

"Hey driver, I'm outta here -- you'll move when I say you move!!" Tee hee.

Walking past multicolor bushes flanking Macy*s (yes we have one down here!)

The side of the building providing comforting bulk of presence.

Hello Macy*s, I'm broke -- where's your sub-basement???

(I was almost born in Macy*s Manhattan -- would I have been a bargain?)

Putting one foot after the other. Slowly waking up.

Destination -- Metro "Subway" station straight ahead.

Wind picks up. Feels like rain.

Walking through oily slog of humid day.

Fresh pastry smells wafting through manhole grates from under-street bakeries.

Giants at work at the ovens, cooking lost souls wrapped in croissant dough.

Early morning felines, front-porch sitting.

Watching me, wind blowing hard against grain of cats' fur.

Kitty smiles giving way to stern impassive dour teddy-bear expressions.

Go back inside, you should be sleeping. Mine are.

Am I gonna be late? Nah -- not ready to hit the office yet.

Metro can wait a while longer. Escalate down to mall food court.

Briefcase cast aside for snack food.

The oily crunch of Terra Chips. Aromatic crustiness.

Licking fingers while escalating to surface.

Street noises, street smells, rush hour.

Sniff Sniff. Pollution day today.

One smokestack = 50,000 cars or 10,000 buses, whichever comes first.

Can't wait for Tuesday........

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