*Aug. 6, 2003.

Maybe it's the sign of a writer
but I'm amused at watching people.
As a writer, observing people can be used
in developing characters for a story
or enlightening the mind to differences.
So it was today, in the airport lobby--
I spied the people, the travellers,
as they walked, jogged, even ran by.
I watched probably a dozen businessmen,
nearly all in tan pants and blue dress-shirt--
briskly walk on by as if going to a meeting.
I saw two young women pass back and forth
several times, to my puzzlement.
There were the vacationing families--
mom, dad, and antsy kids--
with smiling faces now, on the way,
but sure to be tired and worn by trip's end.
Security guards and flight attendants too,
talking, walking, or pushing wheelchairs through.
I can't forget to mention the old ticket lines,
those snaking monstrosities that devour time.
Time itself, checked by the passing passengers
as they walk to their planes, guided by a watch.
But, the fun just begins when it's time to run
and board my own plane and fly away.