I sit and wait
looking across the vast tiled floor
It reminds me of a still lake
reflecting an army of wandering lost souls
loitering in every corner
Tedious thumb twiddling
I glance at the screen
the same screen that I looked at 2 minutes before
and 2 minutes before that
but hold on; excitement!
I spy a difference...
but my brain is slow at deciphering the change
the mist clears...
Flight 2043 – DELAYED
Filled with dread, I review my options for the long evening ahead:
1) Try to sleep somewhere really uncomfortable and fail
2) Cram yet more un-edible food into my already over stretched holiday stomach
3) Watch a load of planes taking off and landing
4) Walk aimlessly around all the shops again; the shops with nothing worth buying!
I mean, how much bloody perfume does a women need?
5) Search my old tattered mobile phone for any pointless games that I can find to play
Several hours pass
and having now abused all five of the above recreational activities
boredom sets in like rig amortise
sitting in a plastic chair staring into space
I resemble some kind of care in the community patient
the fun of having my suitcase wrapped in cling film is now a distant memory
and my journey through passport control
being forced to strip naked
and having my toothpaste confiscated in case I use it to crash the plane
now seems positively exciting
Is this it?
Will I be here for ever?
and then...
the screen...
something...
changing...
Flight 2043 - PROCEED TO GATE D2
I grab my wheelie case and run
skipping and dancing along my automated yellow brick road
D2 is a welcome sight
a crowd of weary travellers stand
swaying like wildebeest
and when the word is heard
a stampede ensues
Sticking close to the pack I finally make it onto the plane
I find my cramped seat
and, with great relief
fall into it
as my nightmare draws to a close
I reflect on my recent adventures and smile
Because however much I hate this place
I know that the first chance I get...
I’ll do it all over again!
Comments
Mangone | January 14, 2010 - 21:47
Only half a nightmare Mr SI.
Usually after the DELAYED is replaced with a gate no.
you rush to the gate and have hours to wait.
It slowly dawns on you that where ever you were before was actually better because now you are bottled in and can only patrol the perimeter like an expectant father wishing you'd paid the extortionate price they were demanding for any form of liquid to slake your growing thirst :O)
Hal 9000 | January 14, 2010 - 22:31
Ha ha, very good Mangone, and very true
Mangone | January 14, 2010 - 23:08
Yes, but you sum it all up perfectly in your last few lines...
"Because however much I hate this place
I know that the first chance I get...
I’ll do it all over again!"
Roll on teleporters :O)
Hal 9000 | January 15, 2010 - 17:27
Thanks Mangone glad you liked it