The Silver Meteor

                                                                                   1946

Not like the confines of a touring car,
there all of life’s essentials had a place,
some travelers could thrive closed where they were,
snug in a speeding bedroom’s cozy space.

Some other travelers rode the waves in ships,
and some loved topping drifting clouds in flight,
but observation seats claimed on our trips
could roll out moving pictures day to night.

I’d beg the upper berth for my own bed.
My parents let me think it was their treat.
I loved the whistle streaming overhead,
the sway that brought dreams down soft and sweet.

This is the one thing that helps with age and pain—
that I got there in time to catch that train.