“Wild Safari Train Ride”                                                                                       

-a poem based on the painting “Where do we go from here?” by Barbra Bragg

Swirling summer warmth

packed train

no wind

no escape

propelling through the waves of heat.

India maybe? Africa?

A herd of elephants

trumpet as they charge beside the train

like a huge grey thunder storm.

Sharp turns all over

the train carries onward

never stopping.

Passing a water hole

the elephants depart.

In the distance

lions are killing their prey of zebra.

One survives,

chasing the train

the lions following close behind.

The summer sun beats down

with oppressing heat

scenery flashes by.

The tracks continue on,

never ending.

As the lions pounce

the zebra leaps away.