ungilded wings

as a child
i took my first plane ride
it was not a happy time
we were going to a funeral
my mother and i
her grandmother’s
a woman i can barely
rmember now

it was so formal
we dressed our best
we got there shortly before takeoff
no security checks
no TSA
that was in the future
just an unavoidable expense
to get us there
on time

no more romance
in flying today
it has become
common
as most experiences do
over forty years
of repetition

and even though
the flight i take now
is not to such a sad occasion
the trip is made sadder
by all the people
reading papers
sleeping
never once trying to see
the now familiar sight
of the top side of clouds

©2009-Art Belliveau