Gate C3

an hour til flight time
hustle and bustle
people watchin' ensues

what are their stories?
who does he love?
why does she look so sad?

a woman sits in sunshine
the rays casting a glow
upon her brown curls
and her smooth, tanned skin

the businessman beside me
crisp suit and tie
still perfectly knotted
plays endless games of solitaire
bordeom washing over his face

a friendly woman in green
plops down to my right
"bright sun today!," she chirps
I smile and nod in agreement

the man whose profile is across the aisle
studies his Sudoku puzzle
almost as intently
as he studies the tall brunette
across from him

he watches as she cuts a calzone
sawing back and forth
with plastic utensils
a surgeon's skill, no doubt

Sudoku, brunette
Sudoku, brunette

the brunette's husband appears
the gazing stops

the woman in green gets chatty
"where do you live?"
"do you have kids?"
"how old are they?"
"where do you have their hair cut?"
"have you heard of this photographer?"

her boarding zone is called

reprieve

my zone is called
hurry up and wait
tap the plane three times
for luck

16A by the window
a non-chatty seatmate
drinks his Sprite
and his moustache hairs
frolic in the liquid
as if on their own little vacation

only 30 more minutes
to Nashville
almost home...

almost home