Southwest Airlines (Photo credit: Photographer Clayton)
colonies of worker ants
emerge
single file,
follow the leader
between blades of grass
standing attention,
communicate in obscure
jargon.
antennae protrude
where you’d think
ears should be.
maroon suits clothe angular
bodies.
predators,
they advance,
stalk ambiguous profit.
others cluster to the side
juggle brief
cases and carry-on’s,
babble the same language.
“Southwest Airlines, flight
eleven-thirty
to Oakland and Orange County,
now boarding group A.”
Poor Joe Hesch, having to clean up the Pub all by himself. This is posted for OLN at dVerse Poets’ Pub after a great anniversary celebration. I’ve been MIA for much of the party due to lack of Internet access. I’ll have to get a smart phone, I guess. But I do have one of those Blue Tooth thingies since cell phone use in cars is defendu in both California and Nevada!
I have nominated you for the Reader Appreciation Award at http://insanebloom.wordpress.com/awards/
A thoroughly familiar metaphor. Sometimes it seems there are assembly lines inside those buildings from which carbon copies emerge. I’ve wondered – are these the defects or the perfects?
People do seem like ants in airports, moving in lines. Nice twist and revelation.
So much to watch in airports. Great images in this poem.
Once, my flight from Germany was delayed and we were sitting in the departure room, waiting to be called, looking through the windows at the workers lifting suitcases, getting them ready to be loaded into one of the many airplanes waiting … I remember thinking that it’s probably a great job, they all/ the workers/ looked so calm and happy, stress- free, exchanging jokes …I haven’t noticed on other airports if those same people look that happy too, but I had in my mind the wish to be one of those worker ants for quite some time after that
Nice poem Victoria, funny and easy to read!
Does seem rather disconcerting … but what’s a traveler to do?
A fun poem. A great metaphor. Nice!
I think almost anywhere you go worker ants emerge…mindless drones speaking a language all their own. I’m starting to feel a bit ant-ish. I think I need to figure out a way to shake things up.
I like the image of passengers as ants. Most times on flights I feel like cattle being herded into the killing room… but I have been known to be overly dramatic.
We often do seem like mindless beings marching in line, don’t we. It’s a sobering thought.
Fun! I see three distinct groups–the workers outside the window, the handsome attendants, and the passengers. I am a bit confused by: “between blades of grass / standing attention”–at first I thought they were propellers, but not on these huge flights. My favorite are the passengers: those who advance and those who stand on the side–the predators and the jugglers! What a huge choreographed dance it takes to prepare to fly!
A fun read Victoria
Big smile. They are the ants we are the cattle.
Wonderful metaphor is this! Those baggage handlers really do some heavy lifting. Very much like worker ants.
Hope you are well, Victoria.
I love people watching in the airport… So many stories unfold
smiles….def all that is going on at the air port seems like worker ants everywhere…love sitting in airports though..so many people to see and take in….so are you on th way home or still have time out there?