Dateline Death is what I remember the poem being named, but that may not be it.
A quick synopsis of the poem: The narrator is a young boy who was
playing around a train trestle, possibly swimming, when explosions in
the water drown him. Presumably later, the spirit of this child sees
two sisters walking along a trestle like his, and the younger girl
gets her foot caught in the tracks. Unable to free her little sister,
she kneels on the tracks and blinds her against her own body and
sacrifices herself so her sister won't be alone and afraid when she
dies.

Among lines I think I can recall, there are: They walked upon a
trestle tall as mine... The explosions in the water spin me down and
drown me... and the last lines I remember were: She could not have
known the thing she'd done. She could not have known.

The last bit of information I can give, is that I read the poem when I
was in school, sometime between 3rd and 6th grade (Early 1980's), and
it may have been part of an anthology, though whether it was in a
textbook or a library book, I just don't recall. I've done about an
hour of scouring google.com with variations of the phrases and titles
I remember, but no joy thus far. Still, I am an amateur searcher, and
I leave it now to the hands of the pros to find my answers. Thanks!

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Request for Question Clarification by rainbow-ga on 05 Mar 2004 14:25 PST

Hi voidkat,
I believe I have located the name of the author and the poem you are
seeking. I have sent out some emails for verification and will let you
know of any responses I receive.
Best regards,
rainbow~

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Clarification of Question by voidkat-ga on 05 Mar 2004 15:17 PST

Thank you rainbow~! Your expertise is appreciated very much. Given an
author and a title, I'm sure I could find a copy of it once more. I
wish you luck for both our fortunes, and bless you for your efforts
even if it turns out to be a red herring! I couldn't find even a lead,
myself. :)

Hi  voidkat,

I've located the poem you are looking for. You are correct in
believing the title is called "Dateline: Death". This poem was written
by Suzanne Gross and originally published in Spring 1965, VOL. 15 NO.
3 Chapbook 8: Tern's Bone and Other Poems, by Suzanne Gross.

The Beloit Poetry Journal
http://www.bpj.org/index/V15N3.htm


After contacting The Beloit Poetry Journal, with the desription of the
poem you gave, I received this reply:

"Yes, it's one and the same poem. If your client sends me a stamped,
self-addressed envelope, I'll be happy to send a copy of the poem."
 
Lee Sharkey
Beloit Poetry Journal
P.O. Box 151
Farmington, ME 04938

Email: sharkey@maine.edu
Website: http://www.bpj.org 


Search criteria:
poem "dateline death"
"dateline death" "Suzanne Gross"


I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions regarding my answer
please don't hesitate to ask before rating it.

Best regards,
Rainbow-ga

Excellent work in finding such an obscure poem! I thank you very much,
and keep up the excellent research! :)

Hi voidkat,

I'm glad I was able to help. Thank you for the comment, rating and tip.

Best regards,
Rainbow~