POETRY AND OTHER STUFF

THE LAST STEAM ENGINE
© Patrick J. Simons 2026

The last steam engine
On the line paused
On the last leg
Of its final journey,
A muscle bound relic of
Another era posed along
Side the rumbling diesel
That will take its place,
A photo taken before
Backing slowly
Through the yard onto
The spur where
The ash-pit awaited,
There it dropped its
Fire for the last time
Before being towed
Away to meet the
Scrapper’s torch,
Men who operated
Her and her sisters
Looked on in
Resigned silence,
Heroes of another era,
Their day has passed,
What they saw as things
Of beauty tossed aside
As inefficient and costly,
The steamers had an
Honest brutality modern
Engines cannot match,
Something vital, complex
And loud had slipped away,
The steam engine was not
Merely iron and steel,
Smoke, water and coal,
It was their magic
Chariot that ruled the
Rails for a century,
Life will go on,
They know that,
But it will never
Be the same.

THE LAST BUS
© Patrick J. Simons 2025

A biting wind sweeps
The deserted street,
Swirling dust and
Leaves vanish
In the darkness,
Street lights offer
Feeble resistance to
The onyx black night,
Wind and darkness
A single thing,
The last bus is overdue,
The night shift huddled
Against the wind,
They want home and
Shelter where their
Beds await them,
The bus their
Only option,
It may not arrive,
It has happened
Many times before,
Forced to walk,
No bus til morning,
They know their
Complaints would
Fall on deaf ears,
Power indifferent
To their plight,
They are the nameless
The faceless,
The forgotten people
Expected to spend
Their lives waiting
For the last bus
Without complaint.

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