Journey By A Steam Engine Poem by Amar Agarwala

A sharp whistle and then a hissing sound
And our train lurches on its tracks,
We smile and vigorously wave goodbyes
Eyeing our luggage on the racks;

I hear little children squealing about
Wheels clattering upon the rails,
I see the station vanishing behind
And that protruding arm that flails;

We then race into the wilderness
Thick foliage passing us by,
The children begin with their funny games
Men reading papers with a sigh;

Woollens being knitted by women-folk
Chattering of their daily chores,
The older men seem to be dozing off
And I can hark to their punctured snores;

Villages, meadows and the grazing herds
Distant church steeples racing back,
Cotton clouds and the sun seem keeping up
But fields and orchards lack the knack;

The train flees into the echoing blue
Engine huffing along the way,
It will reach us to our destination
It's a matter of time they say;

I thought for a moment about our lives
To find that it's a voyage too,
Heading onward to its destination
And to its final rendezvous.

We carry the planets and carry the stars
We carry the heavenly skies,
In our journey to reach those yonder lands
And a place where happiness lies.
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