Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday's poem: Going Home (Burlington Route) by Willa Cather


Going Home
(Burlington Route)

How smoothly the trains run beyond the Missouri;
Even in my sleep I know when I have crossed
  the river.
The wheels turn as if they were glad to go;
The sharp curves and windings left behind,
The roadway wide open,
(The crooked straight
And the rough places plain.)

They run smoothly, they run softly, too.
There is not noise enough to trouble the lightest
  sleeper.
Nor jolting to wake the weary-hearted.
I open my window and let the air blow in,
The air of morning,
That smells of grass and earth -
Earth, the grain-giver.

How smoothly the trains run beyond the Missouri;
Even in my sleep I know when I have crossed
  the river.
The wheels turn as if they were glad to go;
They run like running water,
Like Youth, running away...
They spin bright along the bright rails,
Singing and humming,
Singing and humming,
They run remembering,
They run rejoicing,
As if they, too, were going home.

by Willa Cather

When I travel home, I do not take a train. The last leg of the journey is by ferry.
The 4 1/2 hour trip is the perfect way to slow down, reflect.
We have finally made our summer travel plans. I am looking forward to the ferry trip already. Below are some photos I took during my trip last fall.





2 comments:

  1. It makes me excited to think of you coming home to and the poem brings back my Nebraska trains on the plains. Loved it. Mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Mom :) Willa Cather's writing always reminds me of you.

    ReplyDelete