A Brief Defense of Jack Gilbert

Bruce Morton

Jack Gilbert, he wrote
That the Lord was a locomotive
That would run us down. Well,
I feel run down, but it was not
By any locomotive. Lord, it was

The worrying about this and that
And listening to them and those
Who would rather rattle on about
Little, meaningless things—stuff.
It’s like some crazy sonofabitch

In a handcar who could not,
Who would not, get off my track.
Pumping up and down, up and down,
Relentless, as if performing CPR,
Resuscitating himself, such focus,

A one-track mind, caring not what
Might be following or approaching.
He arm throttles the walking beam,
Hell-bent to get to wherever he was,
Going wherever wherever is. So I am

Thinking, so, maybe God is not 
A locomotive after all, but that 
Self-driven idiot with one-track 
Mind trying to get from here to there.
So, maybe each of us is God?

Bruce Morton splits his time between Montana and Arizona. He was formerly Dean of Libraries at Montana State University.