FLYING STANDBY

Written by Dawn Levitt
(written while waiting for a heart transplant)

Terminal—
Death is imminent,
also, a building
where airplanes depart
to destinations unknown.

You sit, your bags packed,
a patient traveler
waiting for your flight,
but the time of departure
is unknown.

Hovering in the gray space,
plans cannot be made.
Don’t make commitments—
you don’t know if you will
see them through.

Twilight deepens as
runway lights flicker.
Your flight did not come today.
Sleep on hard benches and
dream of delays.

.

Dawn Levitt is a two-time heart transplant recipient who co-founded an animal rescue which saves dogs from the streets of Detroit. Her work has most recently appeared or is forthcoming in Insider Magazine, Open Secrets, Blue Villa, Remington Review, Alchemy Spoon, and Intangible Magazine. Find her online at www.dawnlevittauthor.com or Twitter/X @2HeartCore4U.