As a boy I lived in a small north Louisiana village. There were only five stores, two service stations and one cafe. A railroad track ran through town, and all of my life I lived with three freight trains shaking the earth as they blasted through town, including one at around midnight. I would sometimes get up enough courage to stand as close as I could to this huge metal creature crashing through the silent midnight. My Southern Belle is a short recollection of how I felt.