Nine minutes after takeoff from Heathrow,
a loud explosion. What was that? she gasps,
turning to him for reassurance. Not good,
he answers, turning his head away.
Silence. And more silence from the cockpit
as the massive airship tilts on its side, tilts
as though it’s nearly flying sideways.
Hold my hand, she says, thinking: This may be it.
Don’t be ridiculous, he mutters, shaking
out his newspaper in front of his face.
Pull yourself together, he adds,
We have to set a good example for the others.
She looks around, but not one soul is glancing
their way, wondering how to behave.
Faces are averted, eyes mostly closed,
heads bowed, perhaps in prayer.
The plane lurches, sways,
dips and turns circles in the air.
Her hands clench the armrest as if exquisite
squeezing could avert disaster.
Below, fire trucks line the tarmac.
Foam spurts along the runway. The crew
is invisible. Finally the captain speaks:
We lost the left engine. Please keep calm.
The man she’s traveling with stares forward,
impassive. The skewed plane staggers
in for a landing. They gather their belongings,
make their separate way through the terminals.
Long corridors to navigate without a single word.
Up ahead, so many reasons to be afraid.
Ansie Baird has had the following books of poetry published: In Advance Of All Parting won the White Pine Press national poetry competition in 2009, The Solace of Islands was published by BlazeVOX Press in 2016, and Porch Watch was published by The Foundling Press in 2019.
