Discomfort

Into darkness the plane sails,
proud ship of the air,
passing o'er ocean depths
where rest once proud sea-going vessels,
both great and small
now skeletons rusting, rotting.

In the darkness of the cabin
they sit in silence,
the comfortable silence of
computer chosen seatmates.

She shifts
as exhaustion grips her;
sleep seeking to claim her,
fitfully shifts again.
Her head finds his shoulder,
pauses,
then leans in harder without knowing.

His turn to shift,
but not too far -
darkness, gratefully,
masks deep discomfort.

Swiss International Air Lines
Flight 23
JFK-GVA
6-7 May 2011