TAKE-OFF
Polite smiles,
tentative faces trapped by seat belts.
Quiet wait.
The brakes are off.
We reverse on soft tyres,
then wheel about
like an overfed seagull.
Belts and smiles tighten
as the great bird moves
and tarmac skims past.
Suddenly we are angled
over the patchwork,
nosing into pink cotton wool.
No one moves,
the only sound the whine of engines.
Smooth smiling hostess,
easy.
I am not