On the Airplaine
In front of me
in the gap between the seats
I saw a woman whose head
rested on a man's suit jacket.
I saw the woman's head turn
now in profile
with a large tear
coursing down her cheek.
I saw the man
adjust his seat,
pull out a white handkerchief
and dab a now contorted face.
I wondered, engrossed
in the drama that I knew
happens in the cracks,
what sadness had caused the tear
and if that hand
with its spotless linen
could help beyond
the present sorrow.