Riding On Long Trains

 

There are very few complexities on trains
and this one passes Crone Mountain, slow
as the cars gather momentum and the countryside
slides into blue & green & sometimes earth
tones blurring in the early fog that lifts
somewhere close to Charlottesville

 

We are still outside the big cities and flowers bend
to flutter in sporadic places that scatter & fade
as we bear closer north, where rivers and concrete
replace the stout wooden stations
The train turns electric and efficient, no-one
gets off to smoke & the voices hurry past
smooth southern syllables into the curt clean
containment of polished emphasis

 

I am riding a long train, ten hours so far & Boston
is still far enough way for me to drowse
half awake in the solitude, watching lives moving
on and off, their individual trains

Reviews

[zainul]

Great piece depicts vividly a great journey.
Reminds John Denver of Virginia who introduced his country to the world by his song,"Country Road Take Me Home"
Could you find any way to omit " &" ?
It hurts eyes.

[Phibby Venable]

lol, i demured the & and hope it is more acceptable. Thank you so much, Zainut, for your comments. I love trains.

[zainul]

Thanks for your lovely gesture.
Could you tell me how could you get your books published through Amazon?
That is a great company,indeed.

[Phibby Venable]

I am published through Branch Hill Publishers , Quill & Parchment, and All Things That Matter Press, they usually put the books up on Amazon. You can also self publish your book on Lulu and it automatically goes on Amazon. I did that with my third book. Hope this helps!

[zainul]

You are very cooperative,Phibby.
Thanks a lot.
It helps nicely.

[zainul]

I have visited all the three websites you mentioned.
I have chosen Lulu for sign up/registration.
Would you please inform the provisions/conditions for sign up/registration?
Is sign up/registration free of cost or do they demand money for it ?
What are the conditions of publication, free of cost or need payment?
Thank you in advance for the information.

[Phibby Venable]

At the first three places you must submit your work and hope they like it. Regular publishing. At Lulu, it is free, they do all the work and all u do is upload your manuscript, if u want them to edit it there is a charge, if you edit it yourself, it costs nothing. When you submit your book, they place it on amazon free, and you give them a percentage of each book that sells. When someone orders your book, they withhold their money and send you yours quarterly. Hope this helps!!

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

When I moved from California to Pennsylvania I took the train... I figured it would be a good way to see America and appreciate more of the beauty I hadn't seen yet, I was right. So I can so relate to this fine piece.

[Emily B]

i rode a long train once, the best adventure

[Ken Simm.]

I am reminded of 'The Spirit of New Orleans' Woody Guthrie. I am reminded that I do a lot of my thinking on trains. And I am reminded that you are a consumate artist.

[Ed Hart]

thank you for dropping in and sharing the heart of phibby with us...you are the master, truly