Sacred

[couchgrouch]

SacredSweaty hammers swung with grace,strong-armed men...stripped to the wastesun beating their backs and chestssteel rails seemed to stitch the ground,as those convicts laid them down'cross the cracked dirt of the old southwestthe half-breed scout rode back that daysaid the tribe were set in its waysthey hated steam horses on their landtheir dead rested near and that sandwas sacred and blessedand of divine worthabove all elseon this wide earthbeyond war and hatredtheir beliefs were sacredone man at a rolltop desk,ran the figures...weighed the riskand ordered the rails laid by Fallthe scout watched the work go on,with the sunset he was goneto follow his blood's loudest callstarlight rolled along the midnight steelas if time sold out its wings for wheelsby December the work was donefor progress and profit had becomesacred and blessedand of divine worthabove all elseon this wide earthbeyond war and hatredtheir beliefs were sacredthe train rolled on by the moon,due in Tucson by high noona brakeman spied something on the trackswhistles blew...all wheels locked,two cars lost on jagged rocksmost said it was a renegade attackout of grief for friends dead on that groundnew rails were laid ten miles arounddiff'rent gods and tongues...same blood and breathlife has little merit unless deathis sacred and blessedand of divine worthabove all elseon this wide earthbeyond war and hatredtheir beliefs were sacred(c)2004 Robert George