on this and that

the railroad
-jp

He’s sitting by the railroad
Swinging his feet to and fro
Watching as the clouds fly by
Who knows where he’ll go…

And yes, he’s walked a long way
No, he’s got no home
Besides the stars and sky above

Who knows where he’ll roam…

Oh how good the sunshine feels
Beating on his back
Warming heart and soul within
There’s nothing that he lacks

Is he lonely on his own
Riding railroads past the sky
Does he regret this path of life
Oh how you wonder why

He is only a mere human
Living life the only way he knows
He does not dream for things beyond
Nor dwells on long ago.

The rumble of the train car
Comes thundering within
Mindless people, they all board
And the journey will begin

His story is not uncommon
For he is no single man
He’ll ride upon this railroad
Losing sight where it began.

Its not enough just to stand on the sideline and hope life will put on the brakes to pick you up. And too many people are mesmorized as they stare at the passing train, mindless and empty souled, having no real purpose or direction. I was riding a subway train in Boston a few years back when I wrote this poem and though I know it doesn't capture the whole idea I was trying to portray, nevertheless, its an interesting thought to consider. How many times do you watch people blindly walking around, dazed and in a lost stupor. They look at you as your paths cross, but they don't see you. They're living life trying to reach the top, the highest step on the ladder of success and they're trying to climb quickly. But the higher they climb, the more blind they become. The higher they climb the more altitude seeps into their brains and causes them to forget the purpose they originally started out with. Now they're at the highest step...they're everything they wanted to be and more. Now what? There's no step to climb to, and they're still not satisfied. So what does it take for these people to realize that life is not meant to be the plastic, fake, fragile gingerbread house they've made it into? The house that will collapse the minute you take away all their material and secular dreams.

And then there's Christmas, the season of hope, peace and joy. The season to love one another and share glad tidings. The season everyone all of a sudden is feeling generous and the need to be charitable. That's wonderful...so society sets out to make the world a better place at Christmas. What about the rest of the year? Christmas Day hasn't even struck midnight before everyone has shed their "Secret Santa" suits, hanging it in the dark, dusty closet until next Christmas when its time to play "Mr.Charity" again. How sad is that. How sad that our world has become such a whirlwind of greed that we can only practice the virtue of charity when the TV and radio remind us through their jingle commercials and pop songs that its the "season for giving" once again. And its even sadder that Catholics can be just as negligent; the ones who should be setting the ultimate example because not only do they receive the grace to do so from Holy Mother Church, but because they possess the only thing worth living for: Truth. Its a sad world we live in because we have allowed ourselves to lose sight of who we are and where we came from.