Passengers

open laptops, work on Excel spreadsheets,
drag themselves from cramped seats, shuffle down
the aisle to the toilet, tilt heads back
with closed eyes, nibble on mini-pretzels,
sip water, block out engine roar with noise-
cancelling headphones, play solitaire
on iPads, drape blankets over knees, drop
chins onto chests, doze, sanitize hands
and phones with moist wipes, carry infants
and toddlers to the toilet, gaze out
windows at fields of silver and white clouds
beneath blinding blue skies, lower over-
night bags from overhead lockers, dig out
snacks and sudoku, code spreadsheets
primary colours, stretch lone intruding
legs into the aisle, flip the pages
of bilingual magazines, discard flip
flops, slide on socks and running shoes, check
watches for remaining flight time, adjust
face masks like snorkelers, stretch elastic,
seek comfort, tap feet to unheard beats, nod
heads to private melodies, jigs and reels,
rub red eyes with pointer fingers, run hands
backwards through thinning hair, adjust under-
wear and jeans, yawn and sigh, re-tuck t-shirts,
turn and stretch back muscles, pass trash to flight
attendants as the plane traverses
the continental divide (speeds northwest),
cross arms, burrow hands into armpits, lay
heads on arms on tray tables seeking sleep,
endure atmospheric suspension