Southbound Train to Santa Barbara
Published: April, 2003
At 16 love and sex fused
an exquisite tunnel
I was pulled through the faint opening
like an injection of morphine to the heart.
We settled into the comfort of a daybed
in her basement out of the way,
from her parents and mine
As we leaned in, curved,
our breathing stuttered.
In our falling, I first heard the glass tinkle and break.
Later we tiptoed up the stairs
sneaking out of the door,
I began my life as a fugitive.
On this Coast Starlight train rumbling south
windows rise from floor to ceiling
horses languish under eucalyptus trees.
Out of the corner of my eye
a figure exits from the bending grass
a slinky red fox has bundled
in his mouth a catch
yanked out of a now, unsafe tunnel home.
But I don’t duck, weave and hide anymore.
My memory serves up the image of that fox
hind-legged driven, running sideways and forward
at the same time.
Later that evening we pressed our bodies
against the hood of a 1957 Ford.
Our shadows merged into the dimness
of the easy rising moon.
My imagination is split open on this train trip
along cliffs, drop-offs and cascading waves.
This gaping wilderness is not home.
The heat no longer rises up my neck and around my scalp.
I have a woman who smiles coyly
as my hands circle and fall along her thighs
I smile, astonished
for how long it took for a furtive love
to be made good,
under the guile of that fox and the whistle of this train.
Bali Boy
By Shaun Smith
I am a Bali boy with big dreams.
I hear a spirit whisper in my ear.
I see temples through the mist.
I want to return to my exotic island so far away.
I am a Bali boy with big dreams.
I pretend I’m running on a white sand beach.
I feel the walls closing in on me.
I reach out and touch the flames of the
cremation and feel the release of my ancestors spirit.
I cry out for my vanishing culture.
I sense the loss of ancient traditions.
I am a Bali boy with big dreams.
I say that we must take care as we rush along.
I believe that I can save this wondrous place.
I know that I am a lucky guy.
I am a Bali boy with big dreams.
