signal boxes
step up and into magnanimity
a cuppa and a greeting of age
the signal man a chat
behold the bewilderment
of levers and bells and a phone
with a handle to spin like the movies
ding ding
a train on the line
leisurely on the upper bank side line
more urgent concentration on the main line
levers were release and pulled
and we pulled a few signals
but the points were too heavy
warmth was the feeling there
a fire and warm wooden floors
same in the level crossing guards hut
time stood still as trains passed
tokens exchanged on single track lines
hand rails on the verandas
stood us there larger than life’s vistas
and the mechanisms in the basement
on the way out
were the guts of a time machine
skipping home along the tracks
with our signals set at green
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