Seatmate

I did not think when I climbed aboard

The California Zephyr Train Number 6

In Sacramento, bound for Denver,

That God would be my seat mate.

But there God was, all along the way,

Making sure I didn't miss anything important.

God pointed out the blessed exchange

Of seats between a passenger on crutches

And the stranger across the aisle

Who saw that switching sides

Would allow her more comfort and ease.

Stranger welcomed stranger,

One rearranged the baggage of two,

And both seemed to think this a blessing.

Sometime in the middle of the night,

God gently nudged me awake

Just to make sure I wouldn't miss

The conductor silently reach her hands down

To pick up the blanket a child had dropped

And drape it back over him,

As nonchalantly as if he were her own.

When we got delayed, yet again,

While the operators cleared branches off the tracks,

God shapeshifted into the passenger two seats back,

Walked to the lounge car, and returned

With enough snacks to feed the multitudes.

God also made sure I was up bright and early

To overhear the retiree couple in the dining car

Teasing each other and laughing deep belly laughs,

Flirting over coffee and a game of cards.

And God tilted my chin up just in time to see

The construction crew perched on a roof

Wave with genuine glee in the morning frost

As our train passed by their work site.

God poked me again in Grand Junction

And told me to look down at the platform

Where a group of college students

Were passing the time before our departure

With an impromptu juggling lesson.

And God made sure that I got Wisdom's message

To look closely at the landscapes outside,

So as not to miss the chance to witness

Eagles flying, deer running, rabbits hopping,

And all sorts of animals I've never seen

Watching stoically as our engine rolled by.

And when anxiety and stress and questions arose

About why we were stopped or when we would go,

God chuckled and pointed out the window

Asking why I was in such a rush

When all this beauty was mine to behold.

California Zephyr Train Number 6