i walk barefoot on dark tracks
the cold steel is warmed by the hot summer sun
my feet and toes learn the dance
the tracks carry history
of times when men poured sweat
to nail ties across miles of native land
the tracks travel into yesterday
each stop is a moment when men
and women thought the engine
would pull on forever
forever into yesterday’s house
© zaji, 2016
When I was a little girl in grade school we used to sing about John Henry. Not like Paul Robeson or Harry Belafonte but close enough! Paul Robeson’s brother was my Dad’s Pastor at Mother Zion AME church in Harlem during the 1930s. Your post brought back a lot of school memories and memories of stories my Dad used to tell me while I was growing up.
Paul Robeson – John Henry (lyrics in description)
https://youtu.be/em8QtaDOZt0
John Henry Song (Harry Belafonte)
https://youtu.be/ydTRk1l0ZqI