In seat 23C, a soft, fuzzy teenage girl studies the laminated safety sheet.
Her younger brother in 23B copies her,
succeeding in getting the paper to hang from the folding tray.
Her hair is a lion
or like Samson's must have been,
she's examining her fingers slowly, one at a time.
She wears a checkered blue gingham shirt,
puffed sleeves,
white shorts,
slender silver bracelet,
a storm of sparkling blue eyeshadow.
The plane heaves to life
she leans her head back,
tells her brother
we are going.