JUMPING OFF A TRAIN

I boarded a train.

I had no idea where it was going, but in my mind I thought it might get me to Sri Lanka.

The train was old and moved slowly.

It was a hot and bumpy ride.

I was sitting next to man who said that he worked for the government.

Becoming nostalgic for America, I asked him if he knew who Johhny Carson was, but he shook his head "No".

Then I saw a shiny metal box that triggered a paranoiac reaction.

I said to myself "Bomb".

I had to get off of the train before it exploded.

I walked to an open door of the train car that I was riding in and looked out.

I said to myself:

"I will jump when I see a lot of green", knowing that when I jumped I wanted to land on something soft.

The train had just gone by a field of tall and bright-yellow mustard plants when I saw the green.

I jumped.

I hit the ground and rolled.

The impact smashed the round, gold-rimmed glasses I was wearing, and I was left now only with my dark sunglasses; but luckily they were prescription lens...otherwise I would have been a blindman because I am both so near and far-sighted.

I brushed myself off and was thankful that I wasn't hurt.

It was getting dark and cooler.

It also started raining.

I looked around for shelter.

I saw a tall mound of hay, and thought it might protect me.

I went to it and sat down, pulling hay over me, but the hay didn't stop the rain or shelter me from it.

But it was only a light rain, and then it stopped.

Up ahead was a light.

It was a small wooden enclosure with two Indian men inside.

They offered me tea.

They wanted to know who I was.

What was my name?

I shrugged and pretended that I didn't understand.

One of them pulled out a map of the world.

I pointed to South America, and started speaking some Spanish.

I didn't want them to know that I was an American.

I wasn't sure that India (or at least these men) liked Americans much.

They shook their heads some more.

I drank my tea and left.

It was getting late, and I was now very tired.

I saw a canopied wooden bin that was filled with corn meal.

I stepped inside it, covered myelf with the corn meal, and went to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning I couldn't find my dark sunglasses.

I got out of my warm bed and started protesting to people around me.

I was waving my arms and pointing to my face, and holding an imaginary pair of glasses to my face.

Then I held the proxy frames up to the sun.

Finally, one person pointed in the direction of a fenced building (it was a factory of some sort).

I walked to the fence, and as I was walking, a sheperd with a stick was guiding his "flock" of pigs down the road.

It was quite a sight to see the little pigs obediently following him.

I got to the fence.

Someone came out and handed me my sunglasses.

I was very relieved to get them back.

Below is a poem that I wrote about this part of my adventure.

I walked & walked until my shoes fell off.

When I saw green I jumped off the old train.

When I hit the ground & rolled over I was

Surprised I was alive.

I had bruises.

I walked into a medical clinic.

They said I

Was ok & so I left.

I had on my dark sunglasses, mysterious-looking dark stranger,

Wandering

The sky got gray, the night got

Cold

It started to rain.

I climbed onto a Haystack to cover myself with straw (it was a lousy idea)

So I climbed into a small grain bin with a little roof & covered

Myself with corn meal

So warm & cozy

I had on my dark sunglasses.

I slept.

I woke up.

It was a sunny morning.

My dark sunglasses

Were gone.

Men were staring down at me

&

As I climbed out of that warm corn meal heaven

Someone handed me my sunglasses.

I was so relieved.

I could see again.

I started

Walking

Walking

Walking

&

My feet bled.