"Travel" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Travel

Edna St. Vincent Millay

The railroad track is miles away, 

    And the day is loud with voices speaking, 

Yet there isn’t a train goes by all day 

    But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn’t a train goes by, 

    Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming, 

But I see its cinders red on the sky, 

    And hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with friends I make, 

    And better friends I’ll not be knowing; 

Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take, 

    No matter where it’s going.

The poem that I chose for the poetry project is "Travel" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. When I first read "Travel" I found that it flowed extremely well and really liked the imagery. Then, as I read it over again I started to understand the deeper meaning of the poem.

In this poem, Millay repeats the phrase "there isn't a train goes by," however she can hear and see trains passing. She claims to be willing to take any train, regardless of its destination. I think that in this poem, the train is symbolic of paths of life and opportunities. Millay sees life paths and possibilities passing her by, yet these opportunities are intangible. Instead, she hopes for a train to eventually pass by so she can experience the world in a broader sense. She also makes a comment on people and how they influence her life: "My heart is warms with friends I make, and better friends I'll not be knowing." To me, this means that although she is content with her friends, she yearns to encounter new people and get new perspectives. I really love the imagery in the second stanza with the imaginary train passing by, spitting out "red cinders" into the night sky. This poem is also very relevant to a young person's life as they can see opportunities arising, yet things seem intangible.