WOWPS--Tearful and Barely Dressed
I feel like I’ve rushed into this trip missing a shoe, jacket half on, and hair unbrushed. Unprepared. These poetry trips usually come in the summer for me, so I’ve got the time to practice my poems, pack, and generally prepare for the trip.
This is very different. I mostly have my poems memorized. I think I’ve packed everything I need. There was one frantic moment in which I was worried I’d forgotten my make-up. But, fear not, gentle readers, I got it. I will neither have to disappoint the masses with a plain appearance, nor will I have to go and buy all new make-up. Crisis averted.
Leg one of the trip finds me huddled in an airport corner charging my laptop and phone like it’s the last power I’ll ever see. My flight is delayed because El Nino has decided to descend upon Dallas. And I’m alone. I haven’t done the alone thing since I started slam and flew my happy ass to St. Louis by my lonesome. I miss the excited chatter of teammates, but I’m also kind of interested in being alone and not lonely. Of experiencing this as Kat, not as a girlfriend. Not as a teammate. Of taking from it what I want without distraction.
I already almost cried. I’m not even THERE yet, and I’ve teared up. I notice a little girl, maybe 3, holding a sign that says, “We love our soldier” just seconds before that soldier walked off the plane. She was holding that sign so intently. The right side up and everything. But the moment she saw him, she ran, arms and sign flailing, into his arms. Oh yeah, tear. Then, after hugging and holding, he picks her up and brings her toward her mother and stroller. He picks up the baby and seems to be astounded at her size. She can’t be more than 3 months old, so I wonder if he’s ever even seen her. I had to look away. Something about watching such a private moment and adding my own unwarranted tears seemed too selfish.
Speaking of unprepared, I am NOT prepared for the cold. I am currently wearing a tank top, skirt, and flip flops. Yes, I realize that Columbus, Ohio is not West Palm Beach, Florida, but I’m a Cali girl. I’ve been so cold HERE lately, that I worry for my bones.
Luckily, I’ve gained enough weight to offset my lack of appropriate clothing. I’ve not even had coffee today, as I’ve put myself on an all orange diet today and yesterday (except the gourmet meal last night, yeah, I have great sticktoitness) as if it could possibly offset the all Girl Scout cookies diet I’ve been on for the last week. Well, at least my hugs will be extra squooshy.
And so, I will conclude the first installment of my WOWPS journey/journal. I think I’m going to go wander the airport for something interesting to peruse. I find myself wishing there was a bar where I could get a Bloody Mary, but I don’t think the San Jose airport has one. It does, however, have a raging fire that I’m admiring out the window. Clouds and billowing smoke have a beauty I’m never able to fully describe. Fairwell.
This is very different. I mostly have my poems memorized. I think I’ve packed everything I need. There was one frantic moment in which I was worried I’d forgotten my make-up. But, fear not, gentle readers, I got it. I will neither have to disappoint the masses with a plain appearance, nor will I have to go and buy all new make-up. Crisis averted.
Leg one of the trip finds me huddled in an airport corner charging my laptop and phone like it’s the last power I’ll ever see. My flight is delayed because El Nino has decided to descend upon Dallas. And I’m alone. I haven’t done the alone thing since I started slam and flew my happy ass to St. Louis by my lonesome. I miss the excited chatter of teammates, but I’m also kind of interested in being alone and not lonely. Of experiencing this as Kat, not as a girlfriend. Not as a teammate. Of taking from it what I want without distraction.
I already almost cried. I’m not even THERE yet, and I’ve teared up. I notice a little girl, maybe 3, holding a sign that says, “We love our soldier” just seconds before that soldier walked off the plane. She was holding that sign so intently. The right side up and everything. But the moment she saw him, she ran, arms and sign flailing, into his arms. Oh yeah, tear. Then, after hugging and holding, he picks her up and brings her toward her mother and stroller. He picks up the baby and seems to be astounded at her size. She can’t be more than 3 months old, so I wonder if he’s ever even seen her. I had to look away. Something about watching such a private moment and adding my own unwarranted tears seemed too selfish.
Speaking of unprepared, I am NOT prepared for the cold. I am currently wearing a tank top, skirt, and flip flops. Yes, I realize that Columbus, Ohio is not West Palm Beach, Florida, but I’m a Cali girl. I’ve been so cold HERE lately, that I worry for my bones.
Luckily, I’ve gained enough weight to offset my lack of appropriate clothing. I’ve not even had coffee today, as I’ve put myself on an all orange diet today and yesterday (except the gourmet meal last night, yeah, I have great sticktoitness) as if it could possibly offset the all Girl Scout cookies diet I’ve been on for the last week. Well, at least my hugs will be extra squooshy.
And so, I will conclude the first installment of my WOWPS journey/journal. I think I’m going to go wander the airport for something interesting to peruse. I find myself wishing there was a bar where I could get a Bloody Mary, but I don’t think the San Jose airport has one. It does, however, have a raging fire that I’m admiring out the window. Clouds and billowing smoke have a beauty I’m never able to fully describe. Fairwell.