Tracks of my DNA

A love of trains runs in my family

And through my veins

The tracks of my DNA call out

To the tracks that stretch across borders

Memories flash by in an instant

Like scenery racing past the window

Speeding up and slowing down

The time we sprinted

And I mean SPRINTED

Through Kings Cross Station

Stepping onto the train to Cardiff

Just a fraction of a second

Before it began to move

The heart-pounding thrill I felt

The first time I saw a double-decker train

Knowing I'd be traversing across half the country

Alone and together with other lone vagabonds

Becoming a temporary community

Sweeping through the snow-capped Rockies

In a frenzy of wanderlust

The deep Agonized groan my heart gave

As the engine started to move

Carrying the weight of all my sorrow

Toward a funeral three cities south

And the image I hope I never lose

Of my grandmother standing on the platform

Waving as I left for college

On the Keystone Express from Harrisburg

Waving

And waving

And waving

Until the train was well out of sight

And I have no doubt that

Even then

She still waved

And waved

And waved

Yes

Trains run in my family

Tracks taking us to and fro

But always connecting our hearts