Unscheduled Stops

Just one of those things that makes you say, "Hmmmmmmm".

 

There was a fire extinguisher handy,

right there under the co-pilot’s seat he said.

 

And we shouldn’t be alarmed by buzzers

or other unusual sounds.

That was normal he said.

 

The flight to Anchorage should be pretty smooth,

"maybe a little bumpy over Turnagain Arm" he cautioned.

 

We should keep our seat belts on

and we shouldn’t smoke at all.

I thought those were both good suggestions.

I quit years ago… smoking.

 

But the last thing he said concerned me.

The kind of concern one doesn’t expect.

 

I smiled, even laughed a little.

But I didn’t like it at all.

He shouldn’t even be thinking along those lines.

It was only a thirty-minute flight,

and much of that was over water.

 

So while I didn’t mind reviewing

how to open the emergency exits...

I didn’t like knowing what he meant

when he said…

“In case of an unscheduled stop”.

Reviews

[DiMar4u]

awesome...glad i wasn't along for the ride!

[Solst Rapture]

This is an amusing story and I would have to agree that I become a little uncomfortable around such things, but for other people. I was on a Four hour flight once that experienced sever turbulence for approximately Forty minutes. I'd say about Seventy percent of the passengers were expressing varying degrees of hysteria. The children were in tears, the elderly women were clutching the arms of their nervous partners. I thought it was possibly we would drop from the sky, but all of my friends were so fearful, I seemed to remain calm in the face of it all. I know this might seem annoying, but you do hear of people being affected by such things very differently, and it seems that the more panic around me, the calmer I am, and vice verser. It was nice to be remembered of this story. Thank you.

[Emily B]

We none of us like to think of un-scheduled stops. We don't like what we can't plan ahead. A nice illustration of how fragile our lives and how much rests in the hands of God.

[Sam]

This poem is very vivid, yet open to suggestion. It suggests the panic felt in the case of emrgency, natural apprehension of flight, and the nagging reminder we all get every time we get on an airplane, that if we go down, it's not good. Hopefully I will never have reason to write a poem like this! Great job!

[Valerie Cwiekowski]

What a vivdly told story; I definitely was able to imagine myself sitting there, in a seat on the plane, eyes peering out the window & waiting through 30 minutes that probably felt like forever.

[J]

holy cow! very comforting ~ "over water" ........ the chances of survival so much greater! It won't hurt nearly as much! i love the thought processess goin on here ~ although not the least bit funny [lol], your presentation made me laugh. well executed, d. good work! i like it!

[Sara Muschweck]

Oh, I would have turned blue from holding my breath. Flying is something I would rather not do, and flying in a small plane takes a very brave soul. The last line held the whole punch in this. Having the plane going down being referred to as an "unscheduled stop". You can compare lives to that small plane, and the terrible turns some have as the same "unscheduled stops". Great write.