Trainsongs by Naomi Washer

[excerpt:]
"I’ve walked away from books, people, places, and things because I could not see them, even if they were right there in front of me. (Someday I’ll tell you about California, and how I could not see it). Sometimes it’s easier, at first, to face the ones who turn away than to linger in the glow. But when we take the time to linger, we start to see the constellations we could never really see. A map begins to unfold—a map to uncovering.

The windows of my apartment look out on the gap between two brick buildings across the street. Every ten minutes or so, the Kimball train goes by. I hear it before it arrives, and then, for a brief moment, I see it in the gap between the buildings. At night, the windows of the train are a bright white, illuminating. First the train goes by in one direction, then the other. Sometimes, they pass each other at the same time. Then, the street grows quiet again."

6.5" x 8.5" saddle-stitch chapbook printed on high quality 24lb text paper. Cover design by C. Annarummo