Cocaine Blues By John Drudge

Remember that time

At the railroad tracks

As the long steel

Trundled on

We halved that big bag

That we stole

Into two mounds

Right then and there

As everything rumbled 

And clanged

“There’s lots of time”

I remember you saying

“Look at those lines”

I’m certain I said

Boxcars screeching

And hurtling

Hearts thumping

“We should jump it” 

I think I said

“Hey was your half

Bigger than mine?”

Someone said

As we watched the blur

And the tension of the train

Passing by

John is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology.  He is the author of five books of poetry: “March” (2019), “The Seasons of Us” (2019), New Days (2020), Fragments (2021), and A Long Walk (2023). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee and lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.