In the Grand Rapids Airport...
The young couple, half pregnant
Nervously awaiting final boarding
We all expect to arrive in Chicago at the appointed time
Our ticket, we know, is no guarantee
Only a loose approximation of a promise
That can be easily modified or even cancelled
This is no comfort - I am sure - to the young mother
Her small, properly-adorned son, however, is unconcerned
He is sure all is "as it should be"
And, usually, I suppose that is how we all fly
Refusing to acknowledge the true seat-of-our-pants nature of living
Hunters, farmers, overland stagecoach drivers all knew how fragile is
The fabric that holds us - a gun, a knife, and errant arrow
Was all that was needed to pierce the veil of expectation
As the plane taxis toward takeoff, I am unsure just how United we are
But I, for one, know the multiple escape clauses written into every contract
The seat beside me is empty, as my love flies unexpectedly
On another plane, on a completely different journey
And so it is, all of us dutifully buckled in, our pilot calmly reassures us
All is well, all will be as it will be
I wonder if I am the only one who is consciously sceptical
As we speed down the concrete, and then bumpily rise into the sky
My doubts disappear, and I once again believe
We all can fly...
dg
6/13/11
Nervously awaiting final boarding
We all expect to arrive in Chicago at the appointed time
Our ticket, we know, is no guarantee
Only a loose approximation of a promise
That can be easily modified or even cancelled
This is no comfort - I am sure - to the young mother
Her small, properly-adorned son, however, is unconcerned
He is sure all is "as it should be"
And, usually, I suppose that is how we all fly
Refusing to acknowledge the true seat-of-our-pants nature of living
Hunters, farmers, overland stagecoach drivers all knew how fragile is
The fabric that holds us - a gun, a knife, and errant arrow
Was all that was needed to pierce the veil of expectation
As the plane taxis toward takeoff, I am unsure just how United we are
But I, for one, know the multiple escape clauses written into every contract
The seat beside me is empty, as my love flies unexpectedly
On another plane, on a completely different journey
And so it is, all of us dutifully buckled in, our pilot calmly reassures us
All is well, all will be as it will be
I wonder if I am the only one who is consciously sceptical
As we speed down the concrete, and then bumpily rise into the sky
My doubts disappear, and I once again believe
We all can fly...
dg
6/13/11
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