The lurching stops
eager first timers stand up
one final lurch tosses me sideways.
Sophomores and greater, laugh
“ fin gees,” echoes through the cabin.
fng
[ fin gee]
noun
Antarctic slang : abbreviation for fucken new guy.
The man says, “ bags ain’t ready man
go to chow
bags might be dragged den.”
Where to collect them ?
“there man …… .”
he smiles and walks to an empty space
“dey be here …. when dey here.”
He is tall, beautiful and black, with fabulous teeth. And rhythm
the women can’t keep their eyes from him.
In the mess hall everybody stands in line
aluminium tray in hand
shuffling slowly forward
fans waiting admission to the game.
“ It’s not months
it’s not weeks
it’s not days
IT’S FUCKING MINUTES.”
A man rushes up the in corridor
and down the out corridor
holding a wrist watch aloft and pointing at the hands.
“Going home,” says the person behind me
“ winter does that to people.” For the backstory click Backstage
Orphaned Islands (Un)poetry 