Water Careens violently over Blodes Dam, crashing into the pond below
A train approaches alongside the stream
Its loud engines are muted by the roar of the waterfall
Perched by the dam, high above the pond
I stand alone and struggle to remember
This very scene repeated
So many years ago
I was young then, and could see clear over the trees
The trees that now crowd in, casting dark shadows
Back then, I could walk barefoot along the tracks
The same tracks that are now splintered and cracked
I used to watch the factory men
They would work beside the brook
Now all I see there is empty boxes, piles of trash and abandoned machines
The brook I remember well
I taught some kids to fish there once
They referred to me as “Captain”
I slide gently down toward the water
Skimming over top the rocks, I find a path to the large bolder
The bolder I used to fish from
I am careful not to fall, for my friends are no longer here to help me
I spy the mouth of a tunnel
The tunnel the train travels through, from the other side of the hill
It is getting late now
The tunnel draws me near
A sturdy branch helps me climb
Up the steep path to the tracks
Carefully, I step across the shaky bridge that crosses so high above the water
The tunnel is dark and cold
I can feel the splash of water as it drips and forms puddles along the tracks
The sound of my steps echo off the damp brick walls
Halfway through, it is totally black
Then, a small light appears at the end of the tunnel
I move carefully towards the light
An outline appears at the mouth of the tunnel
The silhouette is familiar to me
A woman and two small children
Their shadows are cast long by the evening sun that shines brilliantly behind them
I hesitate for a moment
I turn to view the other entrance of the tunnel
And from that entrance I feel a cold wind blowing
I can see in the faint light a scene repeated
When the trees were young
When the sun shown bright in the mid day
When the factory men worked by the brook
When the kids called me “Captain”
But now only a cold wind blows from there
And I know in an instant that I can never return
I bid my youth farewell
And run to the far end of the tunnel
A train approaches alongside the stream
Its loud engines are muted by the roar of the waterfall
Perched by the dam, high above the pond
I stand alone and struggle to remember
This very scene repeated
So many years ago
I was young then, and could see clear over the trees
The trees that now crowd in, casting dark shadows
Back then, I could walk barefoot along the tracks
The same tracks that are now splintered and cracked
I used to watch the factory men
They would work beside the brook
Now all I see there is empty boxes, piles of trash and abandoned machines
The brook I remember well
I taught some kids to fish there once
They referred to me as “Captain”
I slide gently down toward the water
Skimming over top the rocks, I find a path to the large bolder
The bolder I used to fish from
I am careful not to fall, for my friends are no longer here to help me
I spy the mouth of a tunnel
The tunnel the train travels through, from the other side of the hill
It is getting late now
The tunnel draws me near
A sturdy branch helps me climb
Up the steep path to the tracks
Carefully, I step across the shaky bridge that crosses so high above the water
The tunnel is dark and cold
I can feel the splash of water as it drips and forms puddles along the tracks
The sound of my steps echo off the damp brick walls
Halfway through, it is totally black
Then, a small light appears at the end of the tunnel
I move carefully towards the light
An outline appears at the mouth of the tunnel
The silhouette is familiar to me
A woman and two small children
Their shadows are cast long by the evening sun that shines brilliantly behind them
I hesitate for a moment
I turn to view the other entrance of the tunnel
And from that entrance I feel a cold wind blowing
I can see in the faint light a scene repeated
When the trees were young
When the sun shown bright in the mid day
When the factory men worked by the brook
When the kids called me “Captain”
But now only a cold wind blows from there
And I know in an instant that I can never return
I bid my youth farewell
And run to the far end of the tunnel
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