# AS 21

if you’re hearing this,  
it’s ’cause i trust you.  
there’s a lot of detail,  
high resolution scans.

i take an early flight.  
nothing good is easy.  
_what am i forgetting?_  
chocolate orange peels.

i program on the airplane  
to distract from humming  
in my eardrums; an engine  
whirring to life in my chest.

she applies the night before  
risks her body just for more.  
she knows she has to see it  
before i remember my face.

jetway’s made of glass,  
eyes have steel blades.  
_what am i forgetting?_  
54-inch red shoelace.

_“do you want to get the  
fuck out of this airport?”_  
she picks up both bags  
before i can say a word.

she borrows a tapedeck.  
i hold her knee. _is this ok?_  
the postal service can’t  
ship this in a flat rate box.

distance desires ritual  
we find a matchbook  
_what am i forgetting?_  
ashen coffee. burning.

the next thing i know  
we’re at the terminal.  
lipstick can stain more  
than cardboard cups

**time stopped in total:**  
14 hours, 28 minutes

## poem details

- [color](https://chromato.graphics/colors): [7694 C](https://www.pantone.com/connect/7694-C)
- sampled: Alaska Airlines Brand Book
- felt: 2025-08-29
- wrote: 2025-11-16
- posted: 2025-11-15
- [tags](https://chromato.graphics/tags): [#airplanes](https://chromato.graphics/tags/airplanes)  [#airports](https://chromato.graphics/tags/airports)  [#chocolate](https://chromato.graphics/tags/chocolate)  [#coffee](https://chromato.graphics/tags/coffee)  [#communication](https://chromato.graphics/tags/communication)  [#distance](https://chromato.graphics/tags/distance)  [#eyes](https://chromato.graphics/tags/eyes)  [#fire](https://chromato.graphics/tags/fire)  [#flights](https://chromato.graphics/tags/flights)  [#glass](https://chromato.graphics/tags/glass)  [#lipstick](https://chromato.graphics/tags/lipstick)  [#love](https://chromato.graphics/tags/love)  [#new york](https://chromato.graphics/tags/new%20york)  [#orange](https://chromato.graphics/tags/orange)  [#seattle](https://chromato.graphics/tags/seattle)  [#shoes](https://chromato.graphics/tags/shoes)  [#sound](https://chromato.graphics/tags/sound)  [#steel](https://chromato.graphics/tags/steel)  [#time](https://chromato.graphics/tags/time)  [#travel](https://chromato.graphics/tags/travel)  [#💛](https://chromato.graphics/tags/%F0%9F%92%9B)