This is a whimsical confession to a woman who will never read it. While trying to make the trek cross country on top of a train, the protagonist comes across many people. Some may be willing to feed him, some want him to kick rocks, and some might just stare and wait for him to move past.
In choosing this short story, I thought it would be a delightful way to shake off some of the funk from the last two. It’s lighthearted and fun instead of being dark and somewhat ominous. Unfortunately, like with all of the other stories read so far. I started thinking deeper into the story instead of letting it make me laugh and moving on.
This time I ruminated on the language used and how that language has changed over time. From Hobo, to Homeless, and later Unhoused. The usage of the word tramp back in 1907 vs its near eliminated use in 2026. The words that we no longer use in common language because they’re slurs to negatively depict certain racial groups. It’s interesting how language changes time over time, new words come into the lexicon while others fade away or get revived. It seems that as some slurs and words that evoke a negative emotion get phased out, a brand new word with the same meaning gets created. Don’t let that deter you from being kind or reaching out to someone who might need a community.
Like, Comment, or Share if you liked this episode. Goodnight!
The music for this podcast was provided by Miles Agean. Check out his album, Alpenglow, on Apple Music & Spotify.
