Off rails

No need for battling whales
or taking coffee on the green,
not when summer is breaking
into an early rapacious cadence.
Meadows aren’t only for frolic.

Rails aren’t matching up
for a smooth ride
but it should be cooler than a mule
that won’t budge
off the mountain of viscous lava.

I want his face in my hands
and the time to finish
an article before the next buzz
of some machine brings us back
from an easy dreaming state.