Missed Connections
after Naomi Shihab Nye
Dulles, Gate B78.
Six delays over five hours
from lightning strikes we can’t even see.
Outside Detroit, my connecting flight
is preparing to take off without me.
The crew rushes us aboard
before another round of lightning
brings another ground stop.
Then “my apologies, ladies and gentlemen”
turns into another wait for maintenance
turns into another night in D.C.
The second unplanned night
for the couple behind me
trying to get home from Europe.
As we queue for rebooking and hotel vouchers,
I’m missing Naomi’s Gate A-4.
I’d love to help a mother in distress.
Not that my limited Spanish or Farsi would have gone far.
And there are no shared cookies.
Or shared connections.
Almost every one of us:
headphones over ears,
faces in screens
regardless of whether
we have travel companions.
We’re in the airport
but already gone.
Is Naomi’s Gate A-4 in Albuquerque
just a relic of another age,
before iPhones tethered us to the world?
Maybe.
But even with all of the delays, long lines
and staff that should already be home,
I don’t hear any raised voices
or see any angry looks.
Not so much as a pair of rolled eyes.
From passengers or crews.
Just understanding and patience.
Only kindness.
Not everything is lost.
]Naomi Shihab Nye’s “Gate A-4” is a piece about an unexpected moment of human connection in an Albuquerque airport. It’s well worth reading. And re-reading. As is her “Kindness,” referenced here and in my “Only Love” piece.
If this resonates, I’d love to hear from you. A comment, a share, or even just a like goes a long way. Writing into the void is its own practice, but knowing the work lands makes it easier to keep showing up.