... ______SkyDream

That craving... 
Being in airports... 
Flying in planes... 
Being part of the rippling masses of people coming and going... 
The aftertaste still lingers
My appetite stirs
Memories incomplete
Unfinished
A strange menu

Departures   
Arrivals   
Check-in 
Identification
Passport
Tickets
Security    
Scanning
The rumbling of jet engines in the background 
deep inside the terminals
Ticket counters illuminated in a colourful mosaic 
of glowing airline logos
Caravans of passengers with baggage trailing behind
Security guards, guns in holsters, marching in threes
Luggage trolley buggies with flashing orange lights circling around the planes below

Waiting

Boarding

Then strap in
Rev up
Screaming engines taking to the sky

Up above the clouds you have the opportunity to dream
To reflect
To delve deeper inside 
Or to just sit back in the fantasy of it all
Men and women in strange costumes offer you curiously presented edibles
There are games with pencils
And mysterious paper bags which you can fill 
with whatever you choose

Fitful slumber
Time in limbo

Cruising in the darkness
Slowly dropping away

Cities below brooding and pulsating
Twinkling lights layering the darkness

You descend into the network
Night time game boards laid out with colourful beacons

Coming in to land
Anticipation thick in the air
The moments just before touching down

Disembark
Clustered queues preparing to leave the womb of the silver beast
Urgency fuelled by impatience
We exchange simple words for grounding

Thank you for flying with our carrier
Have a pleasant day/ night/ holiday/ 
business deal/ social engagement/ 
family reunion/ emotional breather/ 
whirlwind affair/ 
revelation/ 
nervous breakdown

Acquaint yourself with a new place 
Seek out the familiar features in an unfamiliar landscape

The fascination or the alienation rising inside you
As you step into a new climate
A new geography
A new concept