Night Journey, poem by Theodore Roethke with photograph by Corky Lee

Night Journeyby Theodore Roethke Now as the train bears west,Its rhythm rocks the earth,And from my Pullman berthI stare into the nightWhile others take their rest.Bridges of iron lace,A suddenness of trees,A lap of mountain mistAll cross my line of sight,Then a bleak wasted place,And a lake below my knees.Full on my neck I feelTheContinue reading “Night Journey, poem by Theodore Roethke with photograph by Corky Lee”

By Bus to Fresno by Philip Levine

By Bus to Fresno by Philip Levine I wakened at a filling station outside of Wasco to see the light breaking over the Sierras. The boy next to me asked were we there yet. He said it first in Spanish so perfect I smiled and said no. When he asked again in perfect English IContinue reading “By Bus to Fresno by Philip Levine”

Train to Agra by Vandana Khanna

Train to Agra by Vandana Khanna I want to reach you— in that city where the snow only shimmers silver for a few hours. It has taken seventeen years. This trip, these characters patterned in black ink, curves catching on the page like hinges, this weave of letters fraying like the lines on my palm,Continue reading “Train to Agra by Vandana Khanna”