Posts: 751
Threads: 408
Joined: May 2014
(I suppose with this 3rd poem, we've got us a 9/11 series.)
OK Ray. You reeled me in.
Always a Passenger
I could never be a surgeon;
my hands tremble at the word.
I held a scalpel once,
but my nervous fingers
prefer the bulk of a box-cutter—
at least for grip.
I could cut you with sarcasm,
but only as deep as you let me.
Neither could I be a pilot;
these thin cigar tubes
still smell of sweet tobacco,
though it’s been banned for years.
My cravings could kill us all.
I'm not afraid to fly.
I'm afraid to fly you.
Trust me with your heart,
not your limbs.
I wake to a young man
performing surgery
where the drink cart should be.
There’s trouble up front
and my hands are not steady
enough to light my last cigarette.
Posts: 695
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Joined: Jun 2015
Hey tigerlion-
I appreciate how you characterize a passenger awakening to the "surgeon" (with a box cutter) and lighting up on the plane (which has not been allowed for a long time).
That final act of "defiance" (smoking on a plane) is very weird: not knowing how to react, the passenger acts in a way that oddly makes sense, to me...
Good one. It seems that 14 years on, there is still a lot of pent up emotion regarding this event in American history.
My only minor issue: I don't know that the passengers had much time to snooze before all hell broke loose on those planes. Quite frankly, though, it is a scene that my brain avoids. In fact, whenever news comes on telling of innocents dying (esp children) I have to turn from it, as I just cannot stomach such events. I try very hard not to allow myself to be de-sensitized to the continuing madness, and the few examples that I have experienced in real life just make it too G.D. difficult to see it packaged as news. God help me should I ever fail to be shocked, and God help me even more when I need the strength to react in real time, in real life.
...Mark
Posts: 751
Threads: 408
Joined: May 2014
Hey Mark. Thanks for reading and commenting. This was meant as a nod to heroes, of which I am not one. Thank God for those who have the disposition for bravery and important work. I do not. Taken literally, you are of course correct about the snoozing. I don't want to go off on a tangent out of respect for the subject matter, but thanks again for your comments, here and throughout the site. Much appreciated.
Paul
(09-15-2015, 02:05 AM)Mark A Becker Wrote: Hey tigerlion-
I appreciate how you characterize a passenger awakening to the "surgeon" (with a box cutter) and lighting up on the plane (which has not been allowed for a long time).
That final act of "defiance" (smoking on a plane) is very weird: not knowing how to react, the passenger acts in a way that oddly makes sense, to me...
Good one. It seems that 14 years on, there is still a lot of pent up emotion regarding this event in American history.
My only minor issue: I don't know that the passengers had much time to snooze before all hell broke loose on those planes. Quite frankly, though, it is a scene that my brain avoids. In fact, whenever news comes on telling of innocents dying (esp children) I have to turn from it, as I just cannot stomach such events. I try very hard not to allow myself to be de-sensitized to the continuing madness, and the few examples that I have experienced in real life just make it too G.D. difficult to see it packaged as news. God help me should I ever fail to be shocked, and God help me even more when I need the strength to react in real time, in real life.
...Mark
I really enjoyed when you wrote "I could cut you with sarcasm but only as deep as you let me" I just found that part really relatable. All in all really enjoyed reading this!
