Phantom Traveler

[couchgrouch]

Phantom TravelerOn a freight in west Texas, as Joe tipped up his gina hand reached in the boxcar, so Joe pulled him inthat stranger began to whisper, of stronger ways to copehe told of sacred pages, that poured out living hopehe emptied poor Joe's bottle, on a small pile of hayseemed to touch it with his finger, and raise a bright red flamehe read him the Gospel, till faith filled ole Joe's sightbut when Joe awoke that morning, that stranger'd vanished likea phantom traveler, a shadow passengera moonlight rider, a lonely messengerall Joe learned...all he heardhe never forgot the wordsof the phantom travelersomewhere in west Texas, on a midnight GreyhoundJane knew her one-way ticket, was nowhere boundthey stopped at a depot, on a darkened streeta soft-spoken drifter, took the closest seatthough she'd fought with her parents, and run out on her ownafter talking with that stranger, Jane's spirit cried for homeshe' thought she'd been dreaming, cos at the break of dawnshe looked up and down the aisle but, that stranger was gonea phantom traveler, a shadow passengera moonlight rider, a lonely messengerall Jane learned...all she heardshe never forgot the wordsof the phantom travelerten years back in Texas, a kid was hitching southwhen a voice from a van said, he could help him outwhen that poor kid was found, they planted a nameless crossout behind mesquite and thistles, he's a saint for the lostand when loners and drifters, hate what they've becomesometimes after midnight, they get visits froma phantom traveler, a shadow passengera moonlight rider, a lonely messengerall they've learned...all they've heardno one will forget the wordsof the phantom traveler(c)2005 Robert George