A Deathly Silence

29 Dec 2010

TheNightShift
A DEATHLY SILENCE
The passenger airliner 
A huge metallic albatross
Flying over Krakatoa
‘This is the captain speaking
There is no cause for alarm
We have a slight problem…
Hands grip armrests tight
Ears listen to engine sounds
Eyes look for swarthy men
…..a cloud of volcanic ash’ 
One by one the engines 
Splutter and shut down
There hangs a deathly silence
A wave of consternation
Someone stifles a scream
An old lady opens a Bible
A fellow swears and curses
A young girl starts to weep
A man writes a goodbye note
‘This is the captain speaking 
We are on a glide path. 
Hoping to restart engines’
There hangs a deathly silence
A young couple clasp hands
Two strangers do the same
The old lady reads her Bible
A hostess with painted smile
The seat belt signs flashing
A child’s pitiful, sobbing cry

An unpowered flying coffin
A silent metallic albatross
With a belly full of people
A lament for a life gone by
A prayer is softly spoken
A sigh of despair is heaved
‘This is the captain speaking 
Cabin crew please prepare
For an emergency landing’
There hangs a deathly silence
Necks craning to peer out
A view that yields nothing
Except a sparkling ocean
Water rises to greet them
The man finishes his note
The old lady shuts her Bible
The albatross skims the water
Number One engine starts
Hopes are raised once more
There hangs a deathly silence
…………………
A Bible floats on the surface
A note flutters in the air
Smoke drifts on the breeze…..
There hangs a deathly silence

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