POEM: "Poems For Airports"

Poems For Airports


During the mitosis of writing these, I was listening to Eno's music. Naturally I owe much to that. It's funny that while these poems were once about the friction of the air, of the ground, about the weariness of the destination, and the weariness of the way back -- they now feel like they aren't really about airports at all, but about us all getting safely to the places we're going. Godspeed. We are bees.


1. At A Remote Airport 


Black thrumming runway 
its deep core solid and cold 

there's a beach someplace
you won’t stay there long 

the minutes will look fixed
it could be a strange mess 

the sea retakes the shells

all tomorrow’s parties
must begin today. 



2. In Darkness 


                   The moon is the mother of pathos and pity. 
                    Wallace Stevens 


Finally at the baggage claim 
the humming rock the cradle 

cranked away from sight
in sortation about the system 

your electric shaver tossed
because it's a useless current 

your favourite sweater now
worn by a sweating freak 

some undecided cretin tries
to decipher your precious book 

the start of this big machine
bumps against the rubber belt 

at their carousel of waiting
a bawling toddler’s pointing 

at a chicken foot going 'round
in a fog you barely see 

ignore the lunar paraphrase
this aerodrome isn’t safe. 



3. Sura Of The Baggage Claim 


From the sky to the stun of day 
off the plane and down the ramp 

you left last week’s paper there 
a bad novel dogged at page 35 

the sun is blinding (where is this?) 

the goons you see at 4 o’clock 
control your usual breeze of air 

waiting for the big bag to come off 
Customs Customs moment coming

you’ve now forgotten al-Qur'an 
3 children and an evil mother-in-law 

you suspect your faith is wanting. 



4. The Thirdspace


A loving treatment of time 
where did it go post-nostalgia 

present serendip cool across 
the tarmac and swept away 

instead I have no more time 
sitting in this dark room alone 

no more gifts please let me sleep 
stop asking if I’m already there 

my note to self in a book of hours 
Jewel into the gift box tomorrow 

this morning in the airport pursuant 
to baggage claim you claimed nothing. 



© 2013 Rob Schackne


Photo: Yann Arthus-Bertrand