Riding in Boxcars

Introduction

We are all hobos, to one degree or another, arriving and leaving this world with nothing.  We ride through life in boxcars of our own choosing...or otherwise:  Cars that take us to school, military or public service, jobs, and families.  The rides can be brief or lengthy, and take us far or nowhere.  Whether they are many or few, the rides are chained together by the world we share.

Some will say that boxcars are a thing of the past, that they have been replaced by containers, born without souls and tightly sealed for their journeys.  Perhaps it depends on your powers of perception.  I know I see boxcars every day, filled with travelers bearing their burdens.

The poems in this book are views looking in and looking out as the cars rumble along the many tracks that I have traveled.  Some of the neighborhoods weren't great and aging is one car that you are pretty much stuck with.  But poets share experiences, and I have tried here to paint some different scenes of life and the world, as they have rattled past the open doors.

Pick a car and ride along.

Glenn K. Currie