through the woods
and forests fleet
past meadows sweet
and peat bog black
the train moves on

past sidings idle
factories still
the Oder Neisse ramble
'tween broken bridges
shattered towns
old ways are
still remembered
the train moves on

gargantuan towers
breathe clouds of mist
and steam to block the sun
as in the slime filled
ditches now a heron stalks
the train moves on

startled deer to copse
retreat and on the chimneys
storks will mate
as in the tiny villages
on the open roads
the vast fields of former
times dwarf the children
seeking frogs
the train moves on

and as my station
too fast appears
and students head
into the town I wonder
what the steps I walk
would say if they could
but have their voice
a whistle blows
my train moves on

03/23/2009