Engineer Pulls His Whistle

Engineer pulls his whistle,
      Long and loud, 4:38 a.m.,
Crossing Rahway Avenue in Westfield.

Stephen could hear it plainly
      Three-quarters of a mile away,
At home in bed, awake,
      Fighting to get back to sleep,
Shoulder sore from sleeping too long on one side,
      Air passageways burning
From being too dry, condition of the bedroom,
      He and Aggie put out water,
But the air never seems to dampen,
      Dry heat in the apartment,
Window opened, but a high dominates the weather map,
      An unusual overabundance of arid atmosphere,
Adding crackle to the treble of the night,
      And the digital numbers fix the time before his eyes,
            The serenade for the sleepless.

Engineer pulls his whistle,
      Long and loud, 4:39 a.m.,
Crossing Rahway Avenue in Westfield.


For Conversations With Walt
Denis J. Kelly
May 13, 2011