Peril

It’s a silent movie
With a piano score
And alternating shots

Of a train rushing right
And a train rushing left,
Piano thundering

With the billows of steam—
A head-on collision
Looks inevitable.

But then, that’s it. That’s all.
The scene’s never resolved.
The piano goes on,

The trains keep billowing,
The camera keeps cutting
Between the trains. Your eyes

Cut back and forth quicker.
C’mon, c’mon! Which train
Is more interesting?

You could die in your seat
Malnourished on popcorn
In the dark theatre.