Dedicated to my cousin Eleanor Wilcox, for getting me re-interested in Haikus The green and gold train Rolls into the hot station On clean oiled wheels Our passports get stamped We board the train in car D I’m so excited Our glasses wobble But not a single drop falls On the white table The train speeds down tracks The bumpiness is intense We hold on so tight Our cabin is like Harry Potter’s broom closet It’s just not as big Carter and Dad share A tiny cabin like ours I call the top bunk My mom stuffs my bag Into the tiny shower There’s no room to walk It’s eighteen cars long I see real rice fields pass by They’re all hard at work We feel the wind blow On the observation deck It rustles my hair Malaysia blurs past Like a smudged water color Painted by Van Gogh I’m craving the steak Located in the food car Why’s dinner so late? I lay in my bunk Wondering if I will fall I cross my fingers We meet some nice friends Names are Shani and Ian I will e-mail soon There’s a fruit lecture I try durian and gag It smells like a skunk Too soon the train stops I wave to the big engine Time to say goodbye