Kate in Boston: The Commute

In celebration of my last day having to make what I consider an annoying commute to get to work, I’ve decided to write a little poem.

Ode to the Hill

For the last three months,
at least three days a week,
I have climbed this old hill
Whether feeling strong or meek.
And as I do so on this night
I can’t help but make a rhyme.
Sorry Hill, my old friend,
this is my very last time.
In the early morning dew
(although lately it’s been frost)
I have trekked down your steep slope --
a few pounds I must have lost.
Past the bushes, leaves like beetles
and the houses, big and old
in the rain, and in the heat
through the leaves and now the cold.
To the stop there at the bottom
where I caught bus number one –
the 57, I will miss you,
even the times I had to run.
Then to Watertown I rode
to the next chariot of steel
that would stop a million times
with jerky stops and breaks that squeal.
Finally I would arrive
to alight in Harvard Square,
and even though I always fretted,
I never lacked the time to spare.
With caffeine in my grip
(Starbucks always a good friend)
I'd be energized to work
and then commute at the day’s end.
Now I’m here, good Waverly,
trekking up you for the last.
And though your sidewalks were not mean,
I’m happy you’ll be in the past.
On to Cambridge! On to Parker!
There my feet are all I need.
But I’ll remember you, my Newton hill,
I’ll remember you indeed.