Holding on tight for the ride of your life

The journey of life is a train

on a track Which always goes forwards

and never goes back. We board it at Birth, then we

stop off at Schools, General Knowledge gets on,

and he teaches the rules. The journey seems endless,

we can’t wait to grow, But the wheels on the train

seem incredibly slow. We pause at Romance,

where we look for a mate, And we linger in Love,

and we look into Hate. Some relationships bloom,

others stop at Disaster, But the wheels on the train just go faster and faster. Some couples have children,

their carriages fill, But it feels like their engines

are struggling uphill. Some journey through

Wealth, some through Poverty driven; Some have a short ride,

others longer are given. Some travel through Illness,

and never know why They watch out the window,

as Life flashes by.

One thing that we learn as we

stay on the train Is, some folk who get off,

never get on again. When someone gets on with

a laugh and a smile They may stay closely by us

for mile after mile. We travel through Laughter,

and also through Grief, Through Work, and then

Home life can bring us relief. The train’s speeding up with a

clackety-clack, We hang on for dear life as

we hurl drown the track. As the train thunders on we

are glad of a friend, We are racing downhill now,

to Terminal End. Our train’s rumbled on through

all seasons and weather, But the Railroad of Life goes on running for ever.

Rose Sheppard, Ryde, Isle of Wight.