by Carla Stanley
Trains twine through my life. Distant sounds of trains moving in the night Bracket sleepless nights of childhood and old age. Trains travel through my town, A few miles from my house. Child-I traveled on the train, Dad had a pass, He worked for the railroad. Adult-living in Germany, Trains were a way of life. An efficient way to get to town. Grandparent-flying to D.C. to see grandbabies, Taking the train back to California. What a thrill. Retiree-read before I travel. I appreciate The engineering, The labor, The imagination That went into laying track, Blowing holes in mountains, Across the United States. Trains to Arizona and the Grand Canyon Amaze me. The vastness of the land revealed to The traveler.
Carla Stanley is a retired Theater & English teacher. She is a Bakersfield native and spent 20 years as a military wife living in Oklahoma, Washington and Germany. She spends her time traveling with her husband (pre-COVID), writing, gardening, and walking her dog Sky.
Thank you, Carla! A couple of favorite lines:
“Distant sounds of trains moving in the night
Bracket sleepless nights of childhood and old age.”
I can relate!
xoA <3
It was a the train that transported my family from Hoboken to Phoenix when I was just and child, immigrating from the Netherlands / Indonesia. Even though I was young, I remember it. Love this line, ” Bracket sleepless nights of childhood and old age.”