As The Whistle Blows..

As the train was in the distance
I heard the whistle blow
Escaping the memories
Of trains past....


As a child
Trains were of everyday
Seeing them
Hearing them
Walking the tracks....


Remembering the rails, on hot days
Burning your feet as you tried to walk them
The smell of the rail ties
The wood and oil
Spikes driven in to hold the rails in place
Some laying on the gravel, ties too
A few working their way out....


I remember the gravel spread all around
Agates and jaspers
Glimmering in the sun
Childs hands grabbing them
In the pockets they go....


I remember the Engineers
As the trains would pass
Waving at us
With a smile to boot
The guys in the caboose waving
Giving a laugh or two....


These are the memories of trains
From my childhood past....


As an adult, we rode the rails
From town to town
State to state
From the plains
To the mountains
The oceans too....


Clickity clack of the tracks
The whistle blowing
As cars waited for us to go by
The motion of train cars
Relaxing as things and places go by....


Yes I hear the whistle of a train
The memories it brings back
Maybe today I will reminisce
Go walk those tracks....


Michael Vandyke @C 2020