Train

By Matthew Cheng

A long train

passed along the tracks by the Mississippi River.

Someone on the other side

waited for fifteen minutes.

The train carried away:

a man’s depression,

the sky’s capricious clouds,

a dog’s fantasy,

Jazz & Blues,

the setting Sun’s fading light,

and the oak’s breath.

To get to the opposite side of the track,

I sat on the riverbank,

waiting until the train left.

The river flushed away many people’s dreams

without making the sound of turbidity.

The train that didn't stop

brought the laid-back passersby

to another decadent port.

(2015.9.28 NEW ORLEANS)

(Translated by Stephanie Wong)