A Poem for Jim

Photo Courtesy by Jim Mihalek

The Great Adventure - © Diana 2010


Here's to the train whistle
blowing an exultant song.
To steel horse sound as it races along.
Plays a symphony of clackety-clacks
a tune to be heard near the railroad tracks.

Here's to two brothers
renewing a familial bond.
To great adventures,
treasured memories
though boyhood's long gone.

Here’s to two men
cameras loaded, maps firmly in hand.
The truck’s rubber wheels bounce along
dirt roads, covering miles of Midwestern land
chasing trains, it’s their annual plan.

Here’s to seven days
An extraordinary week
Clicking pictures where the Monon
crosses NYC Belt of Kankakee
The Wabash and Ohio, it’s what they seek.

Here’s to two boys
inside the bodies of men,
chasing trains along the rails
straight out of South Bend
down to Ft Wayne, Indiana and daylight’s end.

Here’s to visions of masked robbers
and the Pinkerton, too
as the train rushes past
Lima, which isn’t near Peru,
to Dayton and Bellevue, it barrels on through.

Here’s to their lives and the sharing of dreams.
Through the eye of a camera lens
History is made in every shot that is gained
A story of brothers, to Dennis and James
And to their great passion, a passion for trains.