Key Lime Pie in the Thunder Grill, Union Station, Washington, D.C.

Key Lime Pie in the Thunder Grill, Union Station, Washington, D.C.

I've slurped my two double Harvey Wallbangers,
am now sipping espresso with Key Lime Pie,
unwinding after another hard day's edit;
the train to Virginia rumbles beneath

the booth, rattles my pelvis; at the bar, guy in
orange sports gear, "Jesus Walks" on back, chugs
his beer; older geezer with swarthy skin cozies

up to a dame. He looks like... 'cept he couldn't
be him, could he? The guy heads the CIA, for
chrissake, is nommed for Secretary of Defense.
His lady friend has her hand on his thigh.

Christopher T. George




Juice Train

From Florida, all the way up the East Coast,
the Juice Train lumbers daily up the line,
squealing up the silver track, mile by mile,
O, Tropicana, O, so wholly holy Americana!

I watch the juice cars screeching up the line,
each car emblazoned "Tropicana", graffitied,
all that steel and juice, clanking and rankling,
O, Tropicana, O, so wholly holy Americana!

I borrow time from my duties, putting commas in,
taking them out, to watch through chainlink
as the Juice Train groans again up the tracks,
O, Tropicana, O, so wholly holy Americana!

From city to city, from mile to mile,
the Juice Train grinds on up the line:
O, Tropicana, O, so wholly holy Americana!

Christopher T. George




The Tropicana Juice Train can be seen YouTube if you click on the blog title above. When I went down by train to Charlotte, North Carolina a few years ago for the rehearsals of my musical on Jack the Ripper, my train followed the Juice Train on its journey southward.