the most remarkable cacophony
of sound today at lunch. i was walking
down first street, past the railyards, when the noon
amtrak came in. as the train braked, from
various wheels on various cars
there arose a chorus of screeks and
squeaches that sounded for all the world
like an orchestra tuning up. and i
was not on drugs. the sounds sounded not
unlike something off a beatles album
(sgt. pepper’s, i think), or like
a contemporary classical
composition. as the train slowed to
a stop, the sounds rose in pitch, like a
crescendo, and then ceased almost as if
a conductor had brought down his baton.
(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)