Loco Motion Poem by Prionsías Ó Canáin

Loco Motion

Rating: 4.9


Have you ever sat on an unhurried train
And watched smile, after corkscrew smile
Painted thin on a puffy faced sky.

I have.
They put telephone cables underground now.
And call it progress.

Have you ever click clacked o’er viaducted valley
Whilst eyelined below, makers of methane
Freckle furiously on the skin of green.

I have.
But they rear cattle in sheds these days.
And call it progress.

Have you ever hugged the cosseting hill
With, in distant wollen view, bleating dandruff speck
Dawn tanned mountain scarps.

I have.
They plant land envenoming trees there now.
And call it progress.

Have you ever?
You have not!

Then scurry.
For progress only goes one way.
One loco motion
A cul de sac of traversed track
Routes singularly tentacular forward,
Never back.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Alison Smith 17 March 2007

Thanks for the journey of the progress train... what a pity it has to be onward without a stop over to enjoy... Alison

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Marci Made 19 March 2007

like the way you work with words here for example, the track, a cul de sac and bring things together like a story.....enjoyable read for me..........mm. :)

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Ted Sheridan 20 March 2007

....as time marches backwards.

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Joanne Fenner 21 March 2007

an excellent poem again, i love the way your poetry always makes me pull it apart into sections and think of every verse and lets me enjoy them the more i read them.Thank you for sharing your work, jo x

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Beautiful imagery - thank you Worlds away from my crammed commuter Clair

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Frances May 05 February 2009

Simplicity corrupted by man's ever growing ambitions. I enjoyed this poem alot!

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iop fga 30 December 2008

Ah. The world is changing, and changing fast. Mother Nature will have a say about that, no doubt.

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Bob Blackwell 03 August 2008

I loved this one as I have sat on an unhurried train and watched the beauty all around go slowly by, it gave you pause, un hurried we used to savor things. Great poem. Bob

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Fred Babbin 02 August 2008

You are really good. A poet after my own taste. There are so few of us.

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Bill Thomas 29 July 2008

You're so right, & how often it is we only notice these things when they're already gone... I love the words of this one - 'tentacular' is one to roll around the tongue & savour all day.

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