zipping through the communist countryside

we board the last train from shanghai to beijing in evening
the ride is approximately 12 hours
each car has two bathrooms at one end
the rooms have two bunks a piece
one small table to separate the two bottom seats/bed
you arrive to your room after walking through the narrow corridor
with hot water, newspapers, slippers, folded blankets, and fluffed pillows
there is a slight scent of the bathroom aroma
but you begin to get use to it after about 30 minutes
you can hear your neighbors, speaking mandarin, making very little sense to me
i imagine it being an ancient song, speaking secrets and special stories
in all the traveling through this country, i have realized there are few, if any,
children on public transportation - no crying, no screaming,
though i had the luck of being 6 rows behind a crying infant on the 13 hr flight over the Pacific
everyone is preparing there bunk for sleep, as the working class chinese go to bed so early
tiny, walking people, in the pajamas, with fresh steaming tea
most have metal or clear canisters, that contain your tea leaves at the top
when you are ready for your tea, you just put it in the hot water and they settle to the bottom
from shanghai to beijing:
bunk mate plays with his cellphone, writing and receiving text messages
the other finds a room where he can share with his buddy
train leaves around 7:30, the sun is setting and i am watching the world speed up before my eyes
the train become quiet and dark, we are smiling and laughing, because its all such a simple excitement of this long trip
the hum and the rocking of the train makes my eyelids heavy,
i refuse to sleep, propping my pillows up and lie on my tummy to watch my Chinese movie - whiz by.
the countryside, shacks, huts, wheat, harvesting, factories, dormitories of the factories, men and women on bicycles
whiz by a city center, neon lights, KTV's, and spotlights
back to the views of the barely touched countryside
grey buildings, spaced out into the horizon, with only one light on in each building
dimly lit landscape, if any
its complete darkness, the horizon separates the lighter grey from the black
an occasional light, a small factory, sometimes headlights traveling down a dark road
with nothing to visually see, my mind begins to take over, creating images and thoughts
am i really here, seeing all this, its only been a couple of weeks, nearly a month
it feels as if its been a lifetime
recalling thoughts, ideas, emotions, from the moment of entering this world
flying over the country, for the first time, staring out my plane window
anticipating what was to come
the time is nearly over, and its still difficult to fathom
every evening i think, about how that day may have been the last of new experiences
but the next morning never fails to add something to my memory
i pray that these images remain in my mind, forever
time is all of our enemies, as it will fade this experience every day
step outside of my conscious, is this all really happening
did i really experience all of this...what is the future going to hold for me
once the plane arrives to the country that lies across the pacific from my new loved land?
waking up numerous times throughout the night, every time, peering out the window
hoping for something wonderful to gaze out - complete darkness
except for the passing of another train, in the opposite direction
a bright stream of lights, a pushing of the train to the right, the clicking of the tracks, and the loud noise of the air rushing between the cars
only imagining the life going in the opposite direction
its morning, we receive congee, with a pickles and pickled cabbage, all 3 some of my favorites.
we will be arriving in bejing in just a matter of minutes
our bunkmate silently joins us for his breakfast as well.
out the window, at 6:45 am, its foggy - though i was forewarned - its smog
on the side of the roads, i can see the bicycles on their way to delivering their rider to work.
intersections filled with people and their bikes, so early, so eager, all necessary.
the train slows down, i see the grey platform with the grey air hovering above
there is a return trip.