What I hate about airplanes

is being squeezed into a chute

like a herd of cows about to be slaughtered

and then packed into a seat

like a sardine with

knees hitting the seat in front of you

arms and legs encroaching on your space

as the fight heats up over who gets the arm rest

 

Then there is the question of where to put your carry-on

as all the bins are full and the stewardess is no help

people stare at you in smugness

knowing they got their space and

too bad for you

maybe you should have checked that bag?

sit on it?

 

What I also hate about airplanes is the stampede

when the plane lands and it is time to deplane

All rise

and bolt for the door even though it is still guarded

by the crew who control the exit

and make you wait longer

just for fun

 

What I hate about airplanes is the view from the pinhole window

that makes everything look small and puny

we can see from the air how small earth really is

and how there is less and less room

as the farmland is eaten up

by subdivisions and shopping malls

cities sprawl out into massive blobs of blacktop

we are becoming a concrete bowling ball

 

If I have to go somewhere I prefer the foot or wheel

which make the journey longer

but provide a gentler view

people get along better when there is distance between them

a buffer from others

as we head en masse toward the luggage turnstile

where we shuffle our feet and wait again

watching for the procession of luggage

and hoping ours is still there

the turnstile a revolving metaphor

which completes our flying experience.