there was a guy in our town
had the job to write down the numbers
of every train car in and out of the mill
somewhere, someone might recall his name
a co-worker at that mill told me this years ago
witnesses at the time swore it was true
twelve or fifteen digits on every train car
how many I’m not sure, just say there were quite a few
the man’d watch twenty, fifty, or a hundred train cars pass
look at the numbers until the final car rolled on
then half his job was complete, he'd make a dash
into the office and write all the numbers down
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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3 comments:
Hi Jack,
Maybe no one remembers his name, or the job that he did, but you've memorialized it here. I do have to wonder, though, what was the point of his job? Were they afraid someone would steal a train car, or a train car would run away?
Train car numbers are like license plates on cars. When there are thousands of cars in a lot you want to be able to identify yours.
Train cars get shipped around the country and the owners want to know where their merchandise is.
Hi Jack,
I ask a silly question, and you give me a serious answer. But, I learned something I didn't know, and I thought it had something to do with keeping track of shipments.
I like poems of yours like these, that chronicle people, places and time.
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