Gallivanting the Countryside

by BJL

(This poem was originally published in We Are Humans Collection in 2016, but it has been slightly edited for this blog post. I wrote it in 2014 on a train traveling from Portland, Oregon to New York City.)

 

Upon the entrance of the golden hall,

         There’s marble and towering pillars.

Years before the tracks were laid and nailed,

         Hours burned like the sun’s rays at mid-day.

Sweat and blood ran to the ground in waves,

         Staves of steel and wood, road for a train.

Now it moves, grinds, and winds over, under hill,

         Tunnels, bridges, under stars, overhauls.

Caboose, conductor, carts, crates, and carry-ons,

         All collected for short stays and long.

Men, women, and children gathered in mass,

         Travel and rock over waving blades of grass.

Rolling hills and riversides—bumpy ways,

         Long delays, and overpriced snacks.

It’s all part of the experience,

         The heart of the train, its essence.

But above all, above the tracks and snacks,

         Is the beauty of the land and water.

The green and grains grown before being ground,

         And waterside, oh waterside…

What truly speaks to me, you’d have to see,

         The waterside and all the reflections,

That make me reflect on life, that is,

         Reflect on what it means, what it meant.

Traveling America, all its states:       

         A country in which I’m proud to be.

On this countryside, the fields and hills,

         Here and there, blood was spilled, many died,

All so that I may proclaim three words,

         “I am free!” Not only I, but you too.

God created land, conquered!

         Conquered by God created woman and man.

God created man founded this country,

         A country founded on God and his commands.

A country that demands the best,

         Invest in this land, and show it love;

Because by nail and rock, grass and grain,

         This land and God has invested in us.

 

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I hope you enjoyed the poem! To find more poetry and stories take a look at my Books page, or at the Quick Reads menu. I have a giveaway going on right now, too, which you can find out about in my last blog post, Davu and the Fallen Star | Part Three, or on my Instagram page @BJLBooks (also Facebook/Twitter).

 

Writing Prompt:

Write a poem about a trip you recently took!