The straining diesel of a locomotive
echos in the near distance,
pulling its heavy cargo
pulling its heavy cargo
bound for destinations unknown.
The clack of the rails
under the weight of the rolling steel
is as the ticking of a clock.
At two in the morning
the rhythmic sounds of rails and clocks
do nothing to quiet the activity of the mind.
Offer yourself to Goddess
to do with you what she will
to relieve you of the chatter that interrupts sleep.
Sometimes the mind won't listen.
Wanting to carry a one sided conversation
that no one hears.
Is this just a part of the human condition?
Concern over lives that cannot be controlled or directed.
They will do as they please no matter your wishes.
Your attitude and actions are all you control.
Write.
For relief?
For reprieve?
In hopes of extracting the demons of the mind
that keep sleep at bay?
Perhaps it is just to hear the quiet.
The clacking of the distraction of wheels on rails.
Giving an opening for Goddess to answer prayers
and bring rest to weary minds.
Quiet.
Ticking.
Quiet.
Clacking.
Quiet the mind.
Give peace to the soul the mind wants to rend.
The rails are quiet now.
Only the clocks tick.
If only thoughts passed and left as quietly as
the clacking gone in the distant night,
so sleep could come.
Tick.
Clack
Tick.
Clack.
Tick.
Tick.
Sleep?
________________________
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36 comments:
I miss trains a LOT!
Warm Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
Wow!! I love it
You describe very well the tribulations of the mind and how disturbing they can really be.
Jesus! I'm glad I'm not a freaking human! What goes on inside my plastic skull is simple. "Scare the humans!"
Wow sounds like you had a rather sleepless night.. I did too.
Sometimes the mind just won't stop when the tired body wants it too. My mind was also a buzz of activity last night thinking about the events of the day. Your words really gelled with me. Great writing Monkey!
This is nice. I remember hearing the trains go by as a child, but the tracks are now long gone. Very nice.
Teresa
wow that human condition a wears ya down eh???
I love the feel of the swaying of the train.
There's great tension in this piece even the end leaves me with a ?
Glad to have on the One Shot train today
thanks MM for always bursting with the speed of support for One Shot
My thanks Moondustwriter
The clickety-clack of the train plays a nice counterpoint to the silence of a sleepless night...
your lines tick in my head Monkey man..loved the feeling, almost heard the sound of your poem in my head...stunning one shot!
My mind is well-skilled at the one-sided conversation as well.
Sometimes writing is the release that is needed to let sleep settle. Sometimes, not so much.
I wish you sweet dreams tonight, MM.
-C
monkey...that is probably the longest thing i have ever read by you...it was marvelous...love the sounds you use for the trains...growing up by a railroad track they are sweet music to me...and perhaps the troubled mind that you evoke so well...listening for the rhythm of the click clack...
excellent one shot!
A sound like a train or the rain is always such a soothing sound to me....wonderful poem! :-)
The workings of mind compared with a train journey. I liked it very much..
ode to un-punctuated verses
The infusion of the sound is striking as is the coming to terms with restlessness. Wonderful poem with great depth. cheers
Throughout this work the rhythm stays constant creating that music, driving,those sounds like a racing heart when the mind won't stop and takes you down parallel lines. This was very successful and effective. It struck something universal in me. Good work. Thanks, Gay (@beachanny)
I love the rhythm of this poem and so many nights my brain sounds like a train and sleep eludes me...I cherish the rare nights of dreamless sleep I sometimes get-or the nights I don't remember my dreams :)
oh very nice..the sound of the train...but the inablity to sleep is what I read here...words in your head --a one side conversation...write it, maybe you can then sleep...to the rhythm of the night...bkm
I always like a train's rhythm - hypnotic... I like the mind "Wanting to carry a one sided conversation
that no one hears" and the idea of writing to hear quiet. Great and thought-provoking one shot!
You are incredibly witty. A terrific writer. And a talented poet. Yup. I've got inferiority issues.
However, I do have one suggestion for your insomnia: sleeping pills.
Looking for sleep, for quiet, for peace of mind, a human condition that never changes.
This one is a beauty.... loved your words, " WRITE - In hopes extracting the demons of the mind..."
Your write wonderfully at ease with yourself and your thoughts....
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
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"to relieve you of the chatter..." beautiful. Nice write here. Love and Light, Sender
musical rhythms and lovely sentiments.
skillfully done!
MM
Oh those sleepless nights, if only... we could turn off the one sided chatter as easy as the passing train, Love the use of the train in the back ground of your thoughts passing through.
Cheers,
Joanny
i can almost feel the train's motion and have the sound in my ear - i love to fall asleep in trains (and cars..only when not driving myself) it has somehow a comforting feeling - great poem!
The train kept a rollin, ALL night long...
Having to do long distance on trains. I wish you could sleep but announcement after announcements soon stops that but I love the descriptions. Thanks for reading and commenting on my poem. Hope your week goes well.
Acustic pollution... what we have to live with unless we leave it all and set in the countryside.... then , maybe the chirping of so many birds...
But of course that would not be the same. That sound I love, the rails. Maybe cause We have no trains in here...
Great shot... I love those thoughts of yours
;)
Write to right the mind
focus to make it listen
to the train's trailing sounds
in the lull between
the hands' movement
into time finding silence
Thanks for stopping by Writing Without Paper.
There are times in the spring and fall when we can hear the trains going by at night -- the tracks are about a mile and a half away. And they sound just like this. Nice one.
hi monkey...i just read bri's comment and i couldnt agree more..probably also one of the best pieces i have ever read by you too...and i dont say that in anyway to belittle your other tremendous work..this was just that good...great share for one shot...cheers pete
many of my nights are like this .. you wrote it too well :)
I like the sound and motion you have created throughout your poem. The train and movement of time is much like the constant progression of thoughts....destination unknown. Like the parallelisms.
Awesome One Shot.
Love the motion of the train. Excellent OS.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, Monkey Man. I related to it on every level. Writing to expel the demons, the human condition, knowing I can't control others - only my attitude and actions, insomnia...thank you for sharing it!
You are right, MM. The muse of the rails called to us both this week. This is a beautiful poem she left behind with you as she passed through your sleepless night.
Sometimes the mind won't listen.
Love this.
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