Airport Security by Kate Braid

November 9, 2023
Poem title: Airport Security Poet name: Kate Braid Poem: The old man smiles and bows, his job a modest one – to guide this endless line of travellers to the appropriate security port yet he greets each of us as if an Emperor, Empress who kindly graces his personal doorstep. Never assuming a single language (no such rudeness), he raises his head to scan the next guest, a gentle gesture of hands and fingers – “You are one? Two?” smiles as if this is the perfect number for travel on this unique day, not to worry. And when, at the appropriate moment, he waves with a small bow toward a certain security check point, it has transformed, you’re not sure how, into a gate, not the barrier you first mistook it for. The old man bows to the small child in a stroller ahead of you, says something quietly so the child laughs, parents too, and we are all suddenly lighter, proceed forward, secure, blessed in our travels today by kindness. End of poem. Credits and bio: Copyright © Kate Braid Kate Braid has written, co-written, edited and co-edited 17 books and chapbooks of non-fiction and prize-winning poetry, including with Sandy Shreve, the ground-breaking anthology, “In Fine Form: A Contemporary Look at Canadian Form Poetry.” She lives in Victoria and on Pender Island with her partner and their puppy, and flies as often as she can to France, to visit her family, including her granddaughter there.