“The Train Doesn’t Run on its Own”

“The Train Doesn’t Run on its Own.”

A train drives through the endless ages, 
Pushing hist’ry’s endless pages. 
Towing us to greener grass, 
Lifting us to higher stages. 

And when you see that train go past, 
That mass of metal belching gas, 
You may think that it goes alone. 
That always, it has gone so fast. 

But it does not move on its own. 
Not always has it swiftly flown. 
The engineer’s what makes it roll. 
The engineer, and heaps of coal.

Black coal dug from Earth’s own soil. 
Harvested by endless toil. 
Alone, one lump won’t help you much,
But in one place they’ll make steam boil.

By Marcus
English 8 
Crossroads Academy
Lyme, NH