Deplaning

Deplaning is  a complex thing

there are seat belts to be worried about

and postures and tray tables

the glaring light from a dizzying

view of the sky outside

the shake and sound of being

suddenly jolted up and down the ground

your stomach  between your ears

and your throat is a puddle 

begging to be hurled in a bag

incessant blinking and beeping

and some voice announcing minutes

left before you're arrival.

Overhead bins silently tuck away baggages

with no complaints, hidden seamlessly

to appear to be part of a well-designed ceiling

pretending that gravity will grow tired

of looking for them.

Somewhere between land and air

is pressure, a hum that cannot be numbed.

We breathe, and pop and yawn our way out of

it, as if it can be reasoned to stay away.

We are given guides to read,

warnings to safety, manuals to exit

only to find ourselves relentlessly falling

There are far more criminal offenses 

than bringing a life vest home

Sept 18 2011