Mine is not to run this train, the whistle I cannot blow

Mine is not to say just how far this train will go

I am not allowed to blow off steam or even ring the bell

But let this train run off the tracks, and see who catches hell



Unknown Author





special to The Star



My Grandmother was the secretary of 15th Avenue Baptist Church. She handed me this ‘Ode’ when I was around nine or 10 years old. She told me that a preacher had given her this poem earlier that day. I committed it to memory and went on about my life. I surely did not know I would work for a Railroad one day.

I always took this ode for only what is written. In 1994 I was offered a job on the RR and I took it. At times, when I was a conductor, I would impress my Engineers with the recital of this ‘Ode.’ They would look at me like I was crazy and smile..Then I became an Engineer. I was given the opportunity to impress a whole separate group of guys with my Ode once again. Still taking it for just the words.. Not really understanding this short poem.

My Grandmother passed away a couple of years ago, and I kept on impressing people. One day at work, my last day, while carrying the Rocket Motors to the NASA Space Shuttle to Montgomery from Meridian, a bridge collapsed under my train. We, five NASA people and myself, fell 20 feet and rolled over as we fell into a swampy area near Myrtlewood. I don’t remember a lot about the fall, only that I was alive when I came to.

I thought I saw an amber colored light before everything went black. I suffered some serious injuries, not to be on a pity-pot, and one man died from his injuries. It was a devastating crash to six families. Sometime during my recovery from this accident, I realized that this ‘Ode’ was not about a train. It was about life… I also know that I have to turn my will over to care of GOD and trust that he will keep the train on the tracks.

When I try to run my life my way, something will happen so bad that I can not fix it by myself, and I will have to call him up… and scream HELP !! But if I let him guide me, things aren’t so bad… In fact, the longer he is in control, the better my life is.. I just wish I could tell my Grandmother that I finally got the meaning of the ‘Ode To A Conductor.’