Up along (for Charlotte)

The day is yet young there
where you are
and I have just been
to a screening
of You Are Here

about the stranded passengers
who were fed
and found shelter
in Gander
Newfoundland
when American air space was closed
in the wake of 9/11
and jumbo jets descended
on the town
like waves
of locusts
or bombers returning
from sortie and run
in stacked formation
one atop another
as they landed
and parked nose
to tail
as if
on some aircraft carrier
preparing the way
for an assault
by land

from the start
the locals had her skald
(for those
who know nothing
of witches and cauldrons
to have her skald means
to know your fate
and have it in your hands)
and sprang
to action
as seafaring people do
used
to missing bodies
lost livelihoods
and death
and disasters
at sea
housing passengers
from hither and yon
in schools
and churches
and meeting halls
and billeting them
in their homes

for 24 hours
they made sandwiches
fried fish and chicken
threw together salad
and chili
thawed moose meat
commandeered produce trucks
and used the arena
as a walk in fridge

they cajoled bus booming school bus drivers
to pull up their pickets
and shuttle the plane people
from their jets
and they served no pizza
or anything fast and absurd

nor were they mummers
with hobby horses
or Horsey Hops
or Flop Jaws
or Horse Chops
or Hobby Hoss
or Lop Jaws
though they came
by chance and played
to their heart's delight

neither language
nor creed made any difference
pastors let Bible passages
translate their meaning
thus Phillippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing
but in every thing
by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
unto God
Babel could be useful
after all

Rogers cable put
out the word
day and night
and day for night
to those who longed
to anywhere
and belonged
to each other
for what was needed
whether boxers
or briefs
Kosher
or Halal
vegetarian
or pescatarian

and if you wanted
to know
who was doing fireman's work
the kind they do
when they aren't extinguishing
or polishing the truck
that was Oz Fudge

and when it was done
the locals asked
what was all the fuss
they had only made
a few trays
of sandwiches
what they always did

they were proud
that God's love went there
when it seemed
to have left Washington and New York
they made friends
of strangers
and family
of friends

they shed tears
and shared hugs
and love
and other things
that they were at
they were after caring
and comforting
and that

and wedding and marriage
took the place
of worlds
and nations
split
asunder

was there prayer
or was there thunder
probably both
or neither
hope is softer stuff
not written on stone
or brought
down
from the mountain
neither bought
nor sold
but enduring
and durable
as harder
and tougher
human
and non-human stuff

when bodies were fed
then came sup for souls
Buddy What's His Name and the Other Fellers
or a reasonably facsimile thereto played
jigs and reels
with spoons on laps
and a boot
on an ugly stick
tapping time
to bells
and washboard hacking
and fiddles
that jumped the moon

a few
of the come from aways
kissed a cod
frozen with his tail up
and his tongue
out
and shot
back the rum
and were duly screeched
in
and that was that

and Commander Gander
the mascot goose
gave the kids Disneyland
in pantomime
and plush suits

like Jewish mothers
with everything
to give
but little
they feel
to offer
made chicken soup
which they knew
couldn't help
but couldn't hurt
and made the plane people
come from aways
feel welcome
and let them
make themselves
to home
even when returned
up along
to face another day.