To Shirley Ward ( Poem )

the train departs

the station
as autumn leaves
skirt along
hibernating lawns
and perforated concrete

the train roars
as it enters and exits
the terminal
and is engulfed
in instant renewal.

an exhilarate explosion
of solitary warmth
abounds in the essence
of its transmigration.

death is universal
with varied destinations.
without forethought
it gathers and scatters
the primer of presence.

the caboose is last
to pass through
the station
and as with all things
that have come before
it signals finality.