Landing

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LANDING


First the jolt of touching down, 

then the slow peeling of the mask 


to squint around at the rest of us 

squinting around to discover that—


despite what the itinerary claims—

there is just here with bangs, the same


state we know too well to name

or clarify why we can't get out the door


without bringing it with us in our

carry-ons, like that old autobiography


we can’t seem to close no matter

how much we stare out the open window.


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