THE BUNDES BAHN

 by John Sieren, guest writer

 I was looking through some things today, and found a couple that I thought might interest you.  One is a publication by Headquarters, United States Army Europe, and is entitled "ATTENTION 50 METERS TO BORDER."  it deals with how Iron Curtain crossings endanger lives and create International incidents, what can happen to you as a prisoner of the communists, and among other things, learn how to avoid accidental border crossings.

    The second is a poem I evidently wrote when I was in Germany, and is about the Federal Railroad (Bundesbahn) in West Germany.  It follows.

  

THE BUNDES BAHN
by John Sieren
US54147703
PFC U.S. ARMY

Mirror-like windows,
Postage stamp fields,
Patch-work countryside,
These we saw and much much more,
On our Bundes Bahn ride.

The rails go clickety,
The rails go clack,
The train goes speeding on,
And all the people turn and wave,
Going by on the Bundes Bahn.

Beautiful forests,
Groups of homes,
As a phantom we speed by,
And in the cherished countryside,
Vagrant dreamers lie.

The things we saw,
Voices heard,
all assembled to one,
Friendly people called to us,
Riding the Bundes Bahn.

This was probably written on a religious TDY trip to southern Germany and Austria, in 1956.

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FOR MIL'S PLACE
by John Sieren, guest writer
11-16-13