Ghost Cows (JCH -- 11/91)
the ancient river runs through the graveyard
the Indians drank from these waters
long before Colombus took a wrong turn
and the white man stole their land
a railroad track, built in the mid-1870’s,
still runs through the nearby woods
the steam engines long ago gave way to diesel power
“that was when the trains lost their virginity,”
says an old farmer down the dirt road here
his father’s father tilled the same land but his
son won’t carry on the tradition
he’s a big-time lawyer in some small southern town
but the cows still graze the land although they’ve
been dead for 20 yrs. or more
and the steam engines still barrel down the tracks
(if you listen hard enough, sometimes you can hear
the piercing whistle
just barely over the din of the textile mill in
the distance)
and the Indian ghosts still drink from the river,
clear, unpolluted water from ancient times
yes, the cows are withering, white relics with deep
set eyes
watching the cars go by while the passengers remain
unaware
of the secrets of this land and the ghost cows roaming
the forgotten graveyard
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