In Flight (United Airlines 2383)

by Hannah K

I will not waste my good tea on this one
it’s a Lipton’s-in-a-paper-cup sort of flight
but still, a cloud blasts past us
in icy pinprick wispy glory
and great trapezoids of sunlight slide over
the cold grey shadows of the aluminum wing.
The sea of white below is like airbrushed feathers
of some cosmic swan diving under
a gradient of radiant blue.

In my grandfather’s day they sipped chai
from blue china and stretched out polished
loafers and clinked tiny sugar spoons as they conversed.
Now we huddle in cubicles fearful of bumping sneakers
or elbows with the snoring stranger, toss
plastic spoons into the sea, and seal our
ears under the media of maudlin worlds.
But below us are clouds like beds of tufted cotton
spread out for rest under the twinkle
of an atmosphere yet untamed, unknown.
Perhaps good tea in china would be better matched.
Perhaps someday again we’ll travel with respect.

Hannah K is halfway grown up and enjoys writing fiction, wrangling kids, and generally being alive.

Photography by Kenneth Godoy