I fully realise, my Lord
that I have been to Venice
but if you would not mind
please hold your horses.

I've yet to visit places that
you, in your generosity
have made for us during creation.
But let me tell you first

about the Rocky Mountaineer,
the Blue Train from Pretoria
to Kapstadt, oops, it is Capetown,
the Indian-Pacific goes
from Perth to Sydney and retour.

The Orient Express, from London
and here we go again, to Venice,
so I will schedule this one last
and settle in on what is known
as the Transsiberian Railway,
Beijing to Moscow, of all places.

They say that passengers must take
their living food supply like pigs,
and chickens, turkeys, even geese.

Those frequent incidents on tracks
that have seen better days and trains,
snow slides and other nice disasters
are to be figured in to any journey.

With any luck I shall be longer than expected
and then, before you call me home
there still is Venice, and after that? .

Herbert Nehrlich

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/to-see-venice-and-die/