poems: the apology

moving is funny because you find all of these things that you've stuffed under your bed or pushed to the back of your closet. Today as I was looking through an old box of political stickers I found a poem I had written in 2001 just before starting my final year of college. Time is a trickster. It's called 'the apology' and looking back I can't remember to whom I was apologizing.

the apology

there might be an end
there might be a pause
or flicker or something I don't understand
on days when you feel so lucky
you could cry well I do but
I've always been sensitive I can
apologize for the rest of my life
never buy anything remain
in Virginia till the movie reel
runs out of film but I doubt you'll
even notice the difference in the distance
I feel the approach of Chicago
and there's one more year
and what else can I fear
I'm sorry I'm leaving
I'm sorry I'm sorry
the empty canister slid under the cabinet
collecting dust I wish everything could be
different but solutions erode with age

checking in with Virgil Goode

it's the summer months and that typically means a slow political season. With some extra time on our politicians' hands I figured it would be good to check in with my local US Representative Virgil Goode. Hey, Virgil, how do you feel about the new immigration bill? Or how about immigration and the towns of your district?

Goode: "They've got a Mexican flag in these restaurants . . . They've got one on Main Street in Rocky Mount! They've got one on Tanyard Road in Rocky Mount! ... That riles me."

The Charlottesville Daily Progress has the story.

I have to agree with Virgil. You know what riles me? I was in Baltimore the other day, in a place called Little Italy. I mean, come on. And they were flying the Italian flag everywhere, especially on restaurants! Terrible. I wish that Italian Columbus had never sailed westward from Europe and had left us Americans alone. The worst, however, is St. Patrick's Day and all of those Irish flags everywhere. Kiss me I'm Irish? No, kiss me I'm American. I typically have to lock myself in my apartment because I am so outraged.

charlottesville rules!

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has recently named Charlottesville as one of its dozen distinctive destinations for 2007! Now I like Charlottesville, but I think it is pretty amazing that whenever an organization is compiling lists of best places to live or visit that Charlottesville is consistently cited as a top location.

When visitors come to Charlottesville I hope they take some time to tour Route 29 North, which is an eight+ lane road with miles and miles of underutilized strip malls. The majority of the Charlottesville metro population lives in this section of Albemarle County, which is a much wealthier area than the City of Charlottesville.


UVA professor Tim Beatley in his recent book Native to Nowhere has a picture taken within Charlottesville city limits very similar to the one above. So when people visit Charlottesville they can be both in a distinctive destination and nowhere at approximately the same time! Given the vast amount of suburban sprawl and automobile-dominated landscape I would say that the Charlottesville metropolitan area is much more typical rather than distinctive in terms of predominate land use.

If I were recommending a distinctive destination in Virginia I would suggest South Boston. I happened to visit this small town while getting lost on the way down to Chapel Hill two weeks ago and was charmed by the place. South Boston, to its credit, won an award from the Virginia Chaper of the American Planning Association in 2006 for its restoration of the Prizery: a Community, Fine Arts, and Welcome Center. Now this is a distinctive destination.

the wreck of the old '97

One astute reader mentioned the song ‘Wreck of the Old 97’ so I must talk about it at some length. This is perhaps the finest song train song ever written. Why is it great? A) it’s about trains b) it’s about Virginia c) it’s about freight transportation d) it’s about transportation history e) it’s about supply chains. Okay, it’s not really about supply chains but I digress.

The Wreck of the Old 97 is a real deal historical event. Back in 1903, a mail train derailed off a 75 -foot trestle near Danville, Virginia killing 9 people. The reports from the scene were grisly, such as the person scalded to death by the steam. The train in question was a very recent model, the Old 97 (a name derived from the year 1897 I presume), which was known for its high speed. The train was late and was trying to make up time when it derailed. There was a centennial four years ago in Danville and it would have been really cool to go to.

The song based on the event is folk song legend. It was the first song in the United States to sell 1 million copies. Many artists have covered it including the legendary version by Johnny Cash from his Live at San Quentin album. On a side note, if anyone can think of a better opening to any musical set than Big River – Wreck of the Old 97 – I Still Miss Someone – I Walk the Line I would like to know because that four song lineup is almost incomprehensible to believe.

The Johnny Cash version of the song is great because the song actually sounds like a freight train. Now that is the height of thematic excellence. Listening to Live at San Quentin is the closest thing many of us Americans get to riding a train on a regular basis.

The song has been so successful that there is even a band named for it - the Old 97s. From their song Northern Line:

I'm dreaming on a night train 

It's only been a light rain, and a darkened sky and a starry night
I'm humming on a cold train 

I'm singing about the wreck of the Old 97

the fhwa and transportation songs

andrew has pointed me in the direction of the fhwa's list of transportation songs. To be fair, the federal highway administration's list is called 'some road songs' but it is non multi-modal, incomplete, and lacks any sort of analysis of the songs presented. They should be given credit for selecting such classics as AC/DC 'Highway to Hell' and Kenny Loggins 'Danger Zone'. Much more questionable is the reference to Limp Bizkit's 'My Way or the Highway.'

we here at port halifax are going to share and analyze transportation songs that cover any mode of transportation, that describe transportation infrastructure, and especially songs that deal with issues in transportation planning.

but for the folks at the fhwa, here's a shout out to good old highway transportation with the song South Bound 95 (plus introduction) off of the Avail album Live at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. The song delves into the existential dilemma that is being a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia

"all right we're avail from richmond, virginia and this song was requested by some people from richmond, virginia so this is going to be our first song:

boredom in this mobile home in nowhere USA
somehow gotta make it home to Richmond V. A.
when I'm there I want to go
but when I'm gone I don't
i'll make it anywhere but here
but here is where I got to be
i'll make it anywhere but here
gotta make it to dixie