Wednesday, October 22, 2008

NIGHT TRAIN

"NIGHT TRAIN"

About 32 years ago I took a trip on the Auto Train (a train that carries passengers and your automobiles) from Lorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida. It was winter - very cold and ice and snow had been on the ground for weeks and weeks on end. I was on that train traveling ONE WAY. I was born and raised in Washington, D.C. and had been there about 30 years. (Please don't do the math here. -grin- ) I was moving with my first husband and our son to the sunny state of Florida.

The train left Virginia late one afternoon of a freezing winter day and arrived the next morning in the warmth of Florida. The poem I'm copying here I wrote that night as the train sped down the rails.


I had no idea what was coming in my life -not a single clue - another child, descent into alcoholism, the struggle to survive it, admission of complete defeat, the opportunity to carve out a new life in Alcoholics Anonymous, divorce, the growth of relationship with God, a new God-given marriage, Alanon, finding the blog world, etc.

Often through the years I have thought that God gave me these poems to serve as a life vest I could grab hold of whenever I was sinking - to keep me afloat. I still believe this.


NIGHT TRAIN TO A NEW LIFE

The rails are humming

With piston power

Speeding through the dark

Black sequined night

Towards a new dawn light


My life is racing
With an unleashed urging

Careening through an unknown,

Strange, new passage

Forward to a special message


Quick are the changes
Changing dark to light

Leaving cold for warmth
Casting off illusion to clearly see

Past a clouded veil to a new reality
Prayer Girl

7 comments:

Faith said...

I love that poem!!

Shadow said...

the poem is BRILLIANT!!! so descriptive of what was happening...

Wait. What? said...

"Often through the years I have thought that God gave me these poems to serve as a life vest I could grab hold of whenever I was sinking - to keep me afloat."
I never had heard anything put so simply yet so beautifully - thank you and wonderful writing.

Cat

Akannie said...

WE just never know what God has in store, do we?

What a great poem...you are one beautiful poetess...

Unknown said...

I too love this poem, thank you!

G

Syd said...

I've always wanted to know someone who rode the auto train. Your life was moving swiftly like that train.

Jess Mistress of Mischief said...

Beautiful, I just re-read 1 Corinthians 13 in conjunction with a book study I'm doing for a leadership group I'm participating in and this enhanced that reading for me.

What a beautiful way to start my day!

Thank God for Prayer Girl!!!