Plane Ride

Here I am

The duck sound comes from

my jacket

I'm on a plane where the woman next to me reads German

the child behind me speaks Spanish

and the teens in front of me are searching

for some bubbly.

 

It's a toy - the duck sound -

I hand it over and I'm terrified.

Will the Spanish mother

think I'm a common thief?

 

We're landing and I see through non-tourist eyes

where they see the Empire State Building,

I see a common guide

a land marker

like a rock on the side of the road

daring you to make a right.

 

The teens cheer when the plane touches -

they're in the big city.

I put on my jacket and zip it up to the hilt -

I'm in the big city.