TWO POEMS
Emotion of the Rails
The whistle of the train has many
sounds as the wheels run the iron rails.
Sharp and loud, it gives a blast
- a shiver of excitement sails;
Soft and lonely, it tugs at the
heart and a pang of loneliness sits;
Far-away and eerie, as it fades
away, a feeling of distance hits.
Are passengers travelling home
or away? Is someone awaiting their train?
Is there expectation of all things
new or are thoughts of farewell and
pain?
Emotions that come when the train
whistle blows change over again and
again.
For those who listen to the king
of the rails - every sound is talking
to them.
Joan Adams Burchell
(copyright)
Trains of Yesteryear
Away back, in a simpler time, children
watched trains for a thrill.
There was a hunger to check the
time and hear the whistle, shrill.
A blast of steam, a clanging bell,
the wheels that were heard for miles;
And then the giant, wending the
bend, caused a host of smiles.
The engineer would wave or nod,
much to their delight;
They vowed some day they'd ride
that train on into the night.
When all the cars had passed by,
the best was yet to come -
The brakeman waved from that high
caboose - the envy of everyone.
Joan Adams Burchell
(copyright)
BACKGROUND