eau de nil

i love flying there (even as i hate the turbulence) :
first over dry arabia, then, as you head south,
the strange thrill of map names flashing -
kuala lumpur to the left, mogadishu to the right
under the wings a pale dawn breaking on the equator
and a contour of the seychelles through a cloud.

here, wherever you turn, your eyes fill up with sea
cutting you off from the world
just as it links you to it
waves breaking on the corals and the shore
lilting incessantly in your ears

.