The best part of our trip to Florida
Was the train
It took two and a half days
To travel from Pennsylvania Station to Miami Beach
We had a roomette
With fold down beds and
A tiny bathroom
At night I could lie in my bed
And lift the shade to see
Dark train stations as we passed through
In the daytime I sat on a bench next to my mother
And watched the backs of houses fly by
Tin-roofed shanties
Laundry hanging on the line
Cotton fields and tobacco sheds mile after mile
Each morning we ate pancakes and sausages
Served by Pullman waiters in crisp uniforms
Who poured coffee for my parents most respectfully
With white gloved hands.