The Night Train

The clock reads 3:15 am when I look.
It is right on schedule.
From what seems like far away I can hear it, the rumbling.
Before too long the sound is shaking the windows in our bedroom.
And then I hear the whistle.

I lie still, wondering how I got here.
Should I have known my nights would be disrupted this way?

At 4:15 am it comes, again.
First the rumbling, then the shaking, and then the whistle.
I put a pillow over my head to block out the noise,
By this time the bed is vibrating against the wall.

I lie still, wondering how I got here.
Had I been warned my sleep would be disrupted this way?

When the sound comes at 5:15, I’ve had it.
“Will you PLEASE roll over?” I scream at my husband.
He opens his eyes and looks at me in confusion, then rolls over.
He falls back asleep.

At 6:15 I just get up.
I’ve heard enough from the night train.