Blind Date
Pushing buttons at 6,000 feet.
Blue over white, then
white over white.
Warm air in my face, but damped,
chilled, depressing excitement.
I wait.
Black ice on struts
turns crusty white
then blows off.
White over white.
Cool in face, warmer.
My date waits.
Third row back, quarter 'till noon,
drone in ears, seventy minutes out.
Ground striped with white
Blue above brown.
Feet cold and I wait
Crossing circle at 10,000 feet,
pipeline departs northeast.
Blue over mountains
Ridged in white.
Warm in face.
She waits.
Steep treeless mountains draining south.
Up and down turbulence.
Blue over green
fifty minutes, feet cold.
Warm in face and I wait.
Jagged peaks draining north.
Turbulence returns.
Photos to the left, right.
Blue over brown-gray.
Forty minutes, feet still cold.
She waits.
Land of iced lakes.
Endless flat ahead, relief in rear.
Blue above cotton clouds, above
brown, yellow and white.
Thirty-four minutes, got to pee
and I wait.
Brown braided river flowing north.
Ice gone from struts, but
now on lakes.
Haze above yellow and white.
Removing outer layer.
She waits.
Braided transitions to meandering
ancient dozer scars
photos would be monotonous.
Blue above cotton above brown.
Twenty minutes, still need to pee
and I wait.
Father river of north drainers.
Umiat to the right, where
grandfather begins.
Blue above brown, 2300 feet.
She waits.
Turning knobs, flipping switches.
More east-west dozer scars.
160 knots, seven minutes.
Her voice is gentle from the north.
Face is bright blue over
brown, not dreaded gray.
We no longer wait.
la 6/13/07