These Days, I Spend My Time in the Rupture,

THESE DAYS, I SPEND MY TIME IN THE RUPTURE,

coaxed by the prosody of steel
ground into steel. What I
mean is I anticipate the fetter
of railroad tracks and trains:
how sleep still sieves in the space
of noise. My father says I refused
sleep as a toddler unless carried,
rumbling through fields on the tractor.
Within minutes, I swallowed the sun
in my eyelids, yielded to the rhythmic
hum and rattle. Standing here,
near this train, I am bundled
in its pitch. I am reminded
of driving along the Ohio River,
the echoing tracks aligning the hill
and factories, how it emanates
in its scrapping and sever. I used to place
coins on the track, watch and wait
for the train to pass over and see
how metal could swell.

Pittsburgh Quarterly is now accepting submissions for its online poetry feature. PQ Poem is seeking poetry from local, national and international poets that highlight a strong voice and good use of imagery, among other criteria. To have your work featured, send up to three previously unpublished poems in Word or PDF format as well as a brief bio to pittsburghquarterlymag@gmail.com. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but if work is accepted elsewhere, please alert us.