with first flight canceled,
a frenzied drive across town
against Swift traffic

we made it in time
to a line wrapped three times round
the doomed terminal 

we had just hours
after a year of planning 
to catch the right plane

at the airport bar
post-security panic
we toasted our luck

he saw my new ‘do
the grins of relief returned 
twenty-five years in

on board, luck joined us
with a whole row to ourselves 
on “overbooked” flight

what a start to our
silver anniversary 
purple as the sun