Turbulence Over Minnesota
far below
the silver
of unnamed lakes
Several passengers hit the ceiling hard. But one child, lithe and long-limbed, floats with arms outstretched over the plane’s center aisle. Hurriedly, two stewardesses unbuckle their seatbelts and race toward her. Noticing the girl’s smile, her gently bobbing flight, they turn and help six bruised and terrified customers back to their seats, then stride toward their own. Red hair streaming, the girl steers with her arms. Turning sharply, she flies in the same direction as the plane. Her only trajectory, forward.
one sunset
after another
flying west
Reprinted with permission of the author from her book of haibun, Meteor Hound (Bloomington, IN: Media Jazz, 2023); ISBN: 978-0-9985433-1-4.