He stood a sentry
Armor shimmering in the sun
Out of place and time
Yet ready to face new days
He stood a beacon
Triggering imagination
Calling for adventure
Harkening others to his lair
He stood an echo
Clamoring sound of metal
In a desolate landscape
Singing distant memory
He stood a man
Gilded in mystery
Behind a mask of forgetting
Daring others to step aside
You held the promise of adventure
In your steam-powered engine,
The lines that traversed the landscape
The coal that pushed plumes to the sky.
You carried dreams
In your cars that extended for miles,
The sleeper cabins and luncheonettes
The open rows where dreamers sat.
You marked the distance
On your wheels questing for connection,
The destinations like compass arrows
The nations shrinking in your growth.
You stand as pillars of time passed
In museums dedicated to your greatness,
The speed of progress rattling by unstopping
The marks of disuse tattooing your frame.
As I approach from below,
reaching higher than I can dream.
Your stony visage exudes
Safety, strength, and power,
Yet, you’re not unshakeable.
If I rode on your shoulder,
Would I see the world through your eyes,
Or would the height blind my senses?
