an excerpt from the soundtrack of my life

I like the sound of trains, playing in the background
on the soundtrack of my life;
sets of tracks running along the waterfront
27 blocks away, and on both sides of the river.
Amtrak's Coast Starlight line
en route daily between Seattle and Los Angeles
(I love to wait at the traffic signal and wave to the passengers)
and various freight trains
delay my arrival to work at the most inopportune times.
The sound soothes me subconsciously and I realize
I’ve always lived within earshot of a train
I remotely notice the constant

innocuous blaring horn
issuing a warning
or exclaiming an arrival

(maybe just passing thru?)
getting louder and nearer, 

then fainter and farther
while I am sitting quietly (supposedly) finishing homework.