Abandoned Rails

Do you remember friend,
The mighty diesel engines
We carried on our backs?
And the songs they sang –
Clackety-clack…clackety-clack
As they traveled over our tracks? -

Yes, I remember, friend -
And can you still feel
The vibrations of the wheels
As they raced across our rails
Faster than the wind!

Yes, and do you remember, friend -
All the men, women, and children
That passed through our stations
And how we faithfully took them
To near and far destinations?-

Yes, and do you remember, friend -
The Great Depression
And the homeless hobo men
Who camped along our tracks at night
Who jumped and rode our box car freights
In hopes of finding a better life?-

Yes, and do you remember, friend -
The rough and rowdy railroad men
Who worked beneath the blazing sun
To replace our rotten ties with newer ones;
Who pounded in those long iron nails
To secured our endless miles of rails?

I remember well my friend –
How faithfully we served this nation
But now we are covered with weeds and dust -
And our silvery rails have turned to rust
And instead of the rhythmic clacked-clack
Of the burly engines that rode our backs
We only hear the lonely wind
Blowing between the abandoned stations.