Last week, I posted a link to my interview at Rachel Kramer Bussel's blog about the inspiration for my story "Nasty Little Habit" that appears in her latest soaringly sexy anthology, The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories. Mile High Club-themed stories have some built-in limitations in terms of setting and theme, but sometimes restrictions can spur a writer on to overcome the challenges. With my Mile High Club story, I tried to write a story that could really happen to me. Little did I know that poet Robin Sampson had already published a piece that could well be the opening to my story. Except, well, it is more literary. Still I do like to see it as proof that great minds do think alike!
This poem was originally published in the Connecticut River Review 2008.
Window Seat by Robin E. Sampson
From 16F she wills boarding passengers
don’t sit here - you don’t want to sit here
sees the cute guy, thinks to herself
he won’t sit here. But he stops at her row,
asks “are these seats free?” adds
with a grin “I don’t bite, just nibble.”
She wonders is he flirting? nobody
ever flirts with me
He’s fortyish, curly blonde hair, rumpled chamois
shirt, nicely faded jeans. From Long Island,
heading to Cleveland to visit his brother
who says there are storms, reports of tornados.
He laughs when the pilot predicts a bumpy ride,
makes jokes about silly in-flight catalog items
like indoor pet gates and faux marble sculptures.
They never will exchange names. She enjoys
his little asides, his humor, his smile.
Glimpses skin as he retrieves his bag
from the overhead compartment,
wishes it were a longer flight.
8 comments:
Donna, I'm so honored that you liked this enough to want to post on your blog. Thanks!
Well, thanks for giving permission. It really captures the same dynamic I was going for in my story. Sort of the "real life" version of the same chance meeting....
That is a lovely poem! I have Mile High Club and started it this weekend as Mr. Emerald and I took a short weekend trip (read it on the plane, fittingly enough), but didn't actually get very far into it yet. (Now I'm mostly saving it for our airport and flight excursions to and from Walt Disney World later this month!) But I'm really looking forward to reading your story, of course, Donna. :)
Thanks to both of you for sharing!
Emerald, I'm getting as excited about your Disney World trip as you must be. I hope you're planning on blogging about it!
And it certainly would be good promo for the book to read it on an airplane, lol. Of course, it may give you ideas. My story is pretty doable....
As a matter of fact we are planning on blogging about it! ;) (I will probably announce that right after the Blow Hard Tour ends.) We are indeed quite excited! And of course I am excited by the idea of your coming by to visit our blogland account!
When I read it at the airport I was quite brazen about holding it up for clear view of anyone passing by, lol. I then got so engrossed in it, however, that I forgot to notice whether anyone was noticing. Lol! I only haven't read your story yet because I decided to actually read this one in order (so far).
Once again, I really found this poem lovely. Thanks for sharing it, and for giving permission, Robin. :)
Donna, after reading your story I'm never going to be able to look at one of those thin, little blankets the same way again! ;-)
I'm going to be sooooo bad on my next plane trip with Mr. E - of course we don't have one planned anytime in the near future.
And thanks Emerald - glad you liked it. :-)
Great poem. Thanks for posting it Donna, and thank you for sharing it, Robin!
When is the return flight? ;-)
Post a Comment