The Airport Poem by Indrajit Chatterjee

It was the longest furnished path
I had ever been on; Twenty feet
Street lamps adorned the way..
My cabbie drove in quiet contemplation,
While cars darted past ours, and I was
Caught in the charm of the moment.
Even as I was left to myself,
The magic was overpowering..
And the lights never dimmed,
Carts rolled in and out, and
Even strangers seemed like friends.
I would be boarding in a short while,
Still I felt like staying back;
Never having felt the walls so accommodating,
Never having felt the walks so comforting,
The Airbus was waiting outside in regal attire,
But it was the ticket back to the old cage,
Safe but overbearing,
A contraption so exhausting.. but here,
The carpets were lush and expensive,
The food its scent overpowering..
The shops were resplendent with
Watches, books and intoxicating drinks..
What longing of home I had,
Was curiously lost to me..
It was then she lifted the silk ribbon,
And one after the other they all went forward..
And it was business as usual,
What mattered was what lay ahead..
And that was what I couldn't wrap my head around.
Reluctantly, I stepped inside the sky bridge,
And stole a glance behind me;
I breathed in every inch of the Airport,
And with a head full of dreams,
I took one more step…
The last, most painful one…