Arising to a radiant eastern backdrop!
Fluffy clouds above, flying low and slow,
Thin and spaced, with intermittent blue sky,
Straight white trails beyond the ozone layer,
Evidently the city lies beneath a busy airway!
From whomever; Governor, Mayor or Senator,
Shan’t authorities warn of a looming peril?
A crash, perhaps, aircraft running out of fuel,
Mid-air collision or fatal engine failure,
Can’t predict what transpires in bad weather!
Promised to follow this up upon return,
Said the fellow in a hurry to the airport.
Escaping Marignane on a morning voyage,
First leg of the transit flight, taxing off on time,
Smooth take-off and a truly pleasant journey.
To Heathrow, with its hive of activities,
Bunch of arrivals, closely spaced apart,
Briefly in limbo, circling in a holding stack,
Basking in the sunshine, atop dense clouds,
Before a bumpy drop amid condensed vapour,
And welcomed by a gloomy London day.
Late, was the ensuing long-haul segment,
Took off at 3 pm owing to stray travellers,
On board, whose dismissal was instant,
Though the luggage took time to dislodge,
Then a long wait on the exit taxiway,
The effect of losing an earlier allotted slot.
On the ground, a dull wintry afternoon,
Unlike up in the air, a bright sunny day!
Sailing altitude is above 30 thousand feet,
And cruising at over a 1000 km an hour,
Ahead, a 10-hour track across the pond,
A stunning view from a window seat.
Arrival hour, ungodly back in Europe,
When its 6 pm in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas,
An orange twilight and convivial evening.
Could’ve kept going, chasing the sun,
Into space, where it never set,
But preferred to rest here awhile!
