Goin' South

Sestina
by
DeTrav

Flirtatious wind disrobes yellow dresses
As summer artfully slides to winter;
The sleepy days ask for Earl Grey tea,
Cold sunlight stretches the shadows,
Nights parch the air, leaving crystal moisture,
Song of drops become white floating silence.

The man cups his hands, turns in silence
And walks, ankle deep, in dresses
That snap and pop with lack of moisture.
He takes a deep breath and thinks of winter
Shattered red eyes hang above deep shadows
Coffee and whiskey stain his worn Tee.

Barbwire and chain link cross the T
At the end of the road. Boxcar rolls silent
Until its thunderous coupling with a shadowy
Engine. A distant yard boss dresses
Each car for travel below the blue winter
Clouds enveloping the feathery moisture.

The man leaves red moisture
On barbwire and sprints across tea
Leaves to his rust colored ticket from winter,
Into which he slides with silence.
With a dirty swath the man dresses
His hand, while smiling in the shadows.

The boss, his head in caboose shadows
And glasses fogged by breath moisture
Misses the man in salvaged dresses.
The boss signals the engineer to tee
Off with an oil stained mitt, in silent
Salute. Diesel smoke begins to battle winter

By tugging south towards mild winter
Where adobe softens the shadows;
The man dreams in nervous silence…
And put his lips to brown moisture…
And smokes the strong herb tea…
And the walls of rust with spray paint he dresses…

Each year the land dresses in lady winter
And it’s time for tea in shorter shadows.
The white moisture forever chases in silence.

(There's a picture that goes with this that I'll post in a few days. I need to edit it.)

(4/9/06 - Update - The photo is on my flickr! site.)