April 1: Poetry a Day Challenge: Living in an Airport

Arrivals and departures

the same black screens

cities scrolling by in steady waves

Houston, San Francisco

Johannesburg, Atlanta

San Juan, Honolulu. . .

Which leg am I on?

How many tickets are stapled together?

Which airport am I at?

I check in on my Foursquare

The local time is 6:26 am,

this morning I’m in Newark

leg three of four

Each airport looks like another

Starbucks, Hudson News, Best Buy, Wolfgang Puck’s

I file through TSA

laptop in a bin

shoes on the belt

jacket stuffed in my bag

passport out -

but I’m always in the slowest line

behind babies and foreigners

hiding six-packs of water in their

carry on bags

the story of my life,

learning patience from the airport queue

some things cannot be controlled

arrivals and departures

wanderlust

solitary journeys

anonymity of the gate

aisle seats near the bathroom

a preference for silent seat mates

and redeye flights

my life made up of arrivals and departures

the safety of being strapped in a seat

stuck in a metal bird with nowhere to go

and finally a chance to quiet my brain

catch up with my sleep

and dream only of

arrivals and departures.

--Cathy Kanoelani Ikeda

4/1/12

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