aluminum canister – this fuselage
in collective solitude
cramped in middle seat
rays of sunshine tickling my eye
before someone shuts the blind
I try in vain to find comfort
in jeans uncomfortably tight
paperwork for landing done
passengers passively watch
mundane movies I wouldn’t watch
In my ears Ginsberg reads “Howl”
with his voice robotically intense
from passion and anger
mesmerizing in its emotion
& I find comfort in discomfort
of being stuck here in my middle row
here I can look inward
without phones and twitterfeed
and find an orb of sunshine
of California sun – soon to be
seen with jetlagged eyes
& in these hours between
my being and another self
I’ll find my comfort in discomfort
From Wikimedia commons
Today at dVerse Poetics asks us to write poetry about both side of the coin. Of the good things and the bad. Since I’m flying to California in business early Monday morning, and the flight is quite long, I thought of the pros and cons of that long time aboard a 747, and yes I intend to listen to read poetry at least some part of the way.
January 25, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings 
I really empathize with you here. The middle seat is the worst really…cramped in between two people, unable to either enjoy the view outside well or escape into the aisle easily. But yes, there are PROs to this position too. It is the easiest position to look inside yourself, as there is no other view possible. LOL. Hope you have a good flight, Bjorn.
I have experienced similar feelings as yours regarding long distance flights. While it is good to have time on one’s hands, the cramped seat can soon feel uncomfortable and I must admit I miss the internet access. I like the image of ‘collective solitude’.
How wonderful is this? Very! I fancied myself a “beat” and loved all the beat poets when I was about 15 I guess. I love the fact that you simply inhaled your discomfort and exhaled a poem during a cramped flight!
It’s amazing what a switch in perspective can do.
very cool… i love flying and i hate flying…being cramped into a seat for hours… honestly…usually i don’t watch much movies but on flight i watch all of them until i almost get dizzy…you capture that in between feel so well – the “horror” and beauty of it
…and have a safe trip to california… i’m a little bit envious… smiles
nice…i am rather fond of ginsberg…and of HOWL…so i would def enjoy that…enjoy cali as well…been years since i was there or on that shore….and sometimes you have to pay the discomfort to be comfortable…and if you can find it in it all the better….
By accident, after being bumped on a holiday flight, my wife & I were given two separate seats on another flight; one of them was first class. She insisted I take it, but hell, it was the front row, a bit cramped, the meal was tasteless, since I don’t touch alcohol, the free drinks were meaningless, and the lady beside me snored like a chainsaw. Turned out my wife got a comfortable seat, and found pleasant traveling companions to pass the time with.
Sounds like you’ve found a way to make the best of a bad situation.
I can so appreciate the feeling here. Sometimes those physically awkward flights can open up emotional/mental space and Howl would make the experience all the more intense.
“Howl” is the appropriate protest to such cramped and crammed passage. The volume of that poem in the inner ear grows louder each time the airline shrinks the seats again.
Moloch’s ever present
ha ha ain’t it the truth
I always think of myself as being unnaturally aloft in a metal canister when I am flying. But California is lovely right now so hang in there.
With a positive destiny one bears the flight. It is some wisdom in that.
i liked the struggle in this piece… something we all deal with daily
Aluminium canister is very apt.Clever creative and humorous( trying to take comfort in your tight jeans LOL.) Wonderful poem and one of your best..
I feel your pain – oh to be able to afford business class. I have been to Europe twice and from here a 22 hour flight – bleary eyed is right – I wish you a safe and a comfortable journey BR
that discomfort is too vivid. this is the reason why i prefer the aisle seat… always.
I love flying, but hate the middle seat. Too claustrophobic. Hope you get the window seat and can enjoy the trip! Great word choices in this post…..that first line is incredible…love the images they evoke.
comfort in discomfort – This is really vivid, that whole feeling that you should be grateful but are full of anxiety. Hidden emotions, fear and being truthful to yourself.
A precise tale of a conscious traveler, vividly versed. Guess I am in for similar experience very soon 😦
What a companion for the flight! Howl (thank you for the video)! Alone with it in a tiny cocooned space in a tin can hurtling toward a place desirable to see–a place that inspired Ginsberg in a fashion, lovely and horrible. You take me there. Both Sides Now
So very clever, Bjorn. A scene I love to imagine. k.
Oh….I really do not like flying. Unfortunately it is something that has to happen. I love how you created this scene and I would escape with my music. 🙂
To find comfort in the midst of discomfort is the key to inner peace. Wonderful write, Bjorn!
Thats interesting….thats the time to look inside….sometimes this happens….and I love how you find comfort from discomfort…..
The joys of flying finding comfort from discomfort..finding that orb of California sun sounds nice as it is so cold here.
Long journeys are indeed a difficult thing – all the time I have done that, enjoyed part of it and hated part of it as well. Wonderful thought that you are going to read poetry on the way. Bon voyage!
The middle seat is enough to bring me out in a fit of anxiety. Love the . . . finding comfort in the discomfort.
Well done! This is exactly it: finding yourself when you’re the furthest you can from home, thousands of feet over everything you know (and don’t know)…
That middle row is a bear especially on overseas flights. Definitely need the power to tune out to survive on the flights. I fill up my iphone music and audio books to last to destination and back. Well done.