Poetry

Reuters photo

By

Alejandro Escudé

Sonnet for Thomas and Friends

I remember watching Thomas the train with my kid,

Alec Baldwin’s voice, so calming. The easy slide

Of kid’s television without the franticness of today,

Today, today, today. Barack Obama was elected

And my boy loved his simple to rig Thomas track,

The wooden rails, the coal loader, the battery-operated

Locomotives with the more than friendly smiles.

What kind of sure world was this? It was a child’s.

Now, ice is a bastardized hell. Even hell itself must 

Fit itself into the mythology of us. Narcissistic, barbarous.

The effect of it. Have you noticed? Depression sucks,

And it’s made of nonacceptance, fear, and overkill.

I watch a fly leaping onto glass from a window sill;

It’s convinced that freedom comes through will.

Inspired by this story

Alejandro Escudé

Alejandro Escudé’s first book of poems, My Earthbound Eye, was published in September 2013. He holds a master’s degree in creative writing from UC Davis and teaches English. Originally from Argentina, Alejandro lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.