i was on my way up main street when i saw esther.

she was picking stands of dandelion, talking her strange talk

about birds and kittens, about lewis and

stopping the train

so she could take flowers to heaven and visit her mother.

i walked with her a while, listening,

then waved goodbye at the bottom of main street hill.

i hadn’t gone far

when i heard the train whistle.

i couldn’t see the tracks

or esther

but

i saw my mother,

running

and i

started running, too, toward her,

racing between buildings.

then my mother was gone, but there was esther,

looking up,

still as a rock,

gazing at

that big train,

rushing down on her,

expecting it to stop and let her on.

i pretty near flew

it didn’t seem i could ever move fast enough

but i ran

as the whistle shrieked

as the brakes screamed

as the fireman crawled out onto the grinding locomotive.

the train was nearly on top of her when i leaped,

grabbed esther, and rolled her to safety,

locked in my arms,

the two of us cradled in a mess of seed and dandelion.