Flight Risk

Riders of the Storm

By: Charles Giuliano - Sep 15, 2020

 

Flight Risk

High anxiety
Sleepless night
Booked on line
Morning appointment
Pittsfield Post Office
Passport renewal
Not in my book
Said with dismay
She took me anyway
Wasn't that busy
Cheerful and pleasant
Easing my paranoia
Dealing with government
In the age of Trump
Anything can happen
Might get deported
Back to Sicily
Land of my ancestors
Or perhaps Ireland
Other side of family
Fill out these forms
No hurry
Take your time
Remove mask and glasses
Sit on that stool
Look at me
One two three
In front of white screen
Making a snap shot
One for the ages
Smile she said
I didn’t defiantly
Seething in rage
To her frustration
Well you don’t have to
Looked like a convict
Official mugshot
Not meant to flatter
Doesn’t really matter
One hundred and sixty dollars
Worth every penny
Good for a decade
Sent to Philadelphia
So far behind
Shut down in March
Still catching up
Here’s the tracking number
It will be a couple of months
Said with a wince
Covid you see
Changed everything
No travel plans
Staying put
Just in case
The day will come
If and when
Man without a country
No more old glory
In fire or in rain
Till then perhaps
Passport to fame
Nothing is the same
Up, up and away
Now or never
Stairway to heaven
Flying first class