Prompted by Pablo (Neruda)

Answer one or all four of the following questions...

Tell me, is the rose naked or is that her only dress?

Why do trees conceal the splendor of their roots?

Who hears the regrets of the thieving automobile?

Is there anything in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain?

*Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. The questions above were taken from Neruda's The Book of Questions

From an Anonymous source:

Is there anything in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain?
There is nothing in the world sadder than a train standing in the rain.
Except maybe a train standing in the rain with open doors.
And windows.
That sounds sadder, don’t you think?
I mean, if a train were standing in the rain, and the windows and doors were closed, then the inside of the train would be dry.
So it’s sad…But a train standing in the rain with its windows and doors open- now that’s really sad.
Come on- think about it: Exteriors get wet. In a way that’s what exteriors are for, right? To protect the inside from outside elements.
But when the interior gets wet- well…what’s the point of an exterior?
So, do you see? It’s sad- a train standing in the rain.
But it’s sadder, a train standing in the rain with open doors.
And windows.

From Joseph Mastroianni:

Roots deep in mother earth's embrace,
knotted wind-bent trunk majestic branches rise on high,
with leaves a-sway in gentle rhythm to the silent song of being.
Witness to antiquity,
presence filled with dignity.
Teach me what you know of life, of death, of God.