Nightmares 08 Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

I was ten years old and had started reading newspapers. When I read this news my imagination caught fire and a picture of burning debris flying down in cascades got registered in my mind: "On May 3,1968, a Lockheed L-188A Electra of Braniff International Airways broke up in midair and crashed near Dawson, Texas, after flying into a severe thunderstorm. The burning debris was scattered over a few kilometres around the scene of crash." A b&w pic of the crash-site was carried in the Malayalam daily, along with the detailed report. The aircraft had broken up at an altitude of 6,750 feet and crashed in flames into the ground killing all 85 persons on board. Although I had not even seen an aircraft until that day, my sleep was dented in nightmares of crashing planes, showering debris, fire and soot. For many years to come