This a guest post by my 16-year old niece, Olivia. We sold my father's house during September, and before the closing, we had to dismantle the basement layout. As part of an English assigment, Olivia wrote this free-form verse. Those who have had to dismantle a layout know the feeling. My niece captured it well. The Boys Are In The Basement My Grandpa worked for FRISCO The railroad was his life. He started a model railroad in his basement, to work on in free time. My uncles and my dad all worked on it as well. Anytime we were together, All the boys were in the basement. Building, piece by piece Year by year, A landscape and a river with trains pulling in and out. This was the place they were all together. Grandpa is getting older now, adventures And sometimes he forgets, The railroad in his basement, And the times they spent on it. He has moved out of the house now, And now we have to sell, The house that in the basement, The finished layout stands. The brothers come together Tearing, piece by piece, The model railroad and all the trains. This was the place they were all together. The boys are in the basement, This is a hard thing to do. To take apart this railroad, Is to take a part of you. Grandpa doesn’t really remember, But maybe this is better, Its not as hard for him as it is for all my uncles. Apart, piece by piece It goes, some to Texas, some to Kansas City. But when we are all together again, We talk and remember, that railroad in the basement The place we are all together.
She did capture the essence of the task very well, indeed. I had just posted a reply to the "St. Louis-San Francisco 1876-1980" thread, so the poem had a double impact. Thanks for sharing that; it was nice.
Wow... A very nice piece of writing, but more impressively, a very good study in observation. Quite evocative. My compliments to the poet, and my thanks for sharing...
A WONDERFUL piece of writing, Karl. Made my eyes blurry thinking of times past in your life as well as mine.
How wonderful this is - thanks for posting it Karl !! Olivia really captured the feelings of joy and sorrow. It was difficult fighting back the tears. Bob
I volunteered to be part of the "crew", just because I was available and able to help, but the Lord works in wondrous ways and in the process of helping dismantle the layout, I was "adopted" into a fine family of fellow Christians. When Karl sent me a copy of Olivia's poem, it hit me especially hard because I felt what she so elloquently expressed; the sense of family togetherness and the sense of loss. Some small parts of the layout will live on, however, taking their place on the layout that I will be building, and some have already taken their place on the layout that Ethan (Iantha Branch) is builiding.
So that is were the switches came from. It makes them even better now that I know that they came from a special place like that.
Agree with all that has been said so far on Olivia's free form verse. I lost my dad in Sept this year and it brought back a lot of good memories although most of them were nonrailroad related. While preparing his home for sale, we ran across lots of things that brought back great memories similar to the railroad in the verse. As I think about my railroad hobby, I can only think about all the great things I have learned, the great fun that I have had and the great friends I have made in the process. Many of my very good friends have been my train buds for years and I am grateful for each one. My compliments to Olivia for capturing the essence of the hobby and the comaraderie among those who enjoy it.
The older I get, the more trouble I have with my eyes watering.............. She is WAY more mature than her years. Dan
I figured this would be the best thread to put this in......... Tonight I had to wright a poem for a LA1 assignment. The teacher let us pick the topic so I picked trains. I hope you enjoy it. This is written in the from of Sonnet. A Sonnet consists of 3 stanzas (a stanza is 4 lines) and a Heroic couplet (two extra lines at the end). And all 14 lines are written in Iambic Pentameter (I-am-bic pin-tam-e-ter) which means each line has a total of 10 syllables that alternate stressed, unstressed. Also the whole thing alternate line rhymes, the pattern is ABABDCDCEFEFGG. One last note, most of the play Romeo and Juliet was written in Iambic Pentameter. Anyway here it is: Is that yonder steel there in the pasture? Is that pile of steel the Frisco line? For the blues that low whistle is the cure Why yes, and they come through here all the time That locomotive there, aint she a beaut? She moves so fast it is not close to real And the whistle gives out a nice short toot Then she rides away on that yonder steel Do not fret, fore she will be back again But one day she may vanish from the rails Because diesels are the new kind of kin But she will be remembered in our tales Now adays the steam is all but agone But she will be back by tomorrows dawn -Ethan Lawrence
