The rails had seen better days
So we crept along at a snail’s pace
Under big blue midwestern skies
Young corn, wheat and hay flanking us
We stood in the open vestibule
Taking in the fresh air
Feeling the heat
Of that early summer morning
We stopped behind a row of tidy houses
Eating breakfast in the diner
Enjoying the shade of their pretty backyards
Waiting for the more important trains
Which was all of the other trains
To get where they needed to go first
Late? Hours not minutes
No one was in a hurry
Conductors still whistled and held kerosene lamps
Porters still turned down bunks
Chefs still cooked from scratch
Food made in motion
Served on real railroad china
Waiters holding onto their pride to the last
The great lines were dying
Some of them died sweetly, softly
And we mourned sweetly, softly
For that which once was
And could never be again
© Glenn R Keller 2021, All Rights Reserved
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