And then it came to pass
that we turned away
from where we were headed
because the wind there
was too strong
to land safely on one engine.
May 14, 2025 06:07We turned away
from the wind bothering the trees,
flaying pansies, knocking lemons
one against another;
away from hymns ancient and
modern, from the holes
dug in the garden for kitchen scraps
that resemble graves
prepared for a succession
of small animals.
Away we turned, back
to a runway on which waited
emergency vehicles
and so it came to pass
that we touched ground
whole, feeling lucky
and afraid.
Being out of danger
it came to pass
that we broke the chain of hands
that held us, though not the chain
of thoughts — that held.
—Jenny Bornholdt, “Flight”
