The World Going By (on an Amtrak train, with a migraine)

By the time I left New York City yesterday, I wasn't well—a massive migraine had set in and all the dizziness that accompanies the condition. I clung to the pole of the subway for dear life, stood against the wall of Penn Station hoping not to fall, crept carefully down the station steps to the train. I chose the left side of the first car. Could not read. Could not talk. Could only look at whatever was flying past the panes.

The storm had broken. The sun knocking against the wet world y...