Friday, April 04, 2008

NaPoWriMo 4: For Leonie

Because it's always nice to have a fan club ...

A Conversation That Never Happened But
Could Have Done
We are sitting on the bench at
the bottom of the garden,
the one that looks out over
the airport runway and
Peter Jackson’s film set,
the one with the giant
bluescreen.

Planes are landing
from the South and when
they touch down there is
smoke from the tires and
the loud roaring of brakes.

I didn’t know, he says
that the sound is the planes
taking off, not landing.
We all nod, take another
sip from our wine glasses,
and watch in silence.

Do you ever think, he asks,
about the woman sitting
by the Ganges somewhere
in India, scrubbing her
Sari clean? Or about the
old man sitting on his
porch in Kansas, watching
his corn grow?

There’s a woman sitting
on that plane who is
returning home from
a business meeting and
is hoping her husband
has cooked her dinner.

The sun sets, the sky
grows dark and everywhere
street lights flicker on.
We watch cars driving
along Lyall Bay,
and we wonder who
is watching us and
whether anyone is
watching everyone.

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