HOME /  Poem :  A weekly poem, read by the author.

"No Flights Until Morning"

By |Posted Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006, at 7:02 AM ET

Click here to listen to David Tucker read this poem. The runways were covered by late afternoon, nothing moved out there but the occasional noble snow plow carrying on with a yellow grimace, the big jets were barely visible like whale herds sleeping off the blast. The concourses, so frantic a few hours ago, were almost still, a few meanderers chatted on their cell phones and looked at watches. Some who couldn't bear the limbo lined up at the ticket counters to argue with clerks who rolled their eyes. Expectations that could not be denied on this of all days were denied, deadlines that couldn't be missed were missed, helpless executives threw up their hands, meetings went on without them, soldiers with orders gave up with good cheer and played video games as if this was finally the last place and not all that bad, stranded students slept on backpacks, wedding guests rode the escalators with vacant stares, imagining the bride. I stayed quiet and thought of you; checked my passport, read my ticket again, then again like a spy with only a name to get me out, a thousand miles from my life.

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David Tucker's chapbook, Days When Nothing Happens,was published last year. His book Late for Work was 2005 Bakeless Prize winner and will be published next spring.

For Slate's poetry submission guidelines, click spacerhereyeshyperlinkPoetry SubmissionsSlate reads new poems from Oct. 1 to April 30. Manuscripts sent between May 1 and Sept. 30 will not be considered.To submit poems: Send, as a single attached document, up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each to editors@slatepoems.com. Use the poet's name for the subject line of the e-mail and for the title of the attachment. We prefer Word documents (.doc or .docx) to PDFs.Please include a brief, professional cover letter, including publication history, in the body of your email. Please limit submissions to one per poet per annual reading period. Simultaneous submissions are OK. Slate no longer accepts poetry submissions by mail. The email address editors@slatepoems.com is for poetry submissions only (or to notify editors of acceptance elsewhere of a poem under consideration at Slate). Other inquiries, etc., will not be addressed.10000false220061444537PMWednesdayJanJanuary161/4/2006 9:45:37 PM63271989937000000020061444537PMWednesdayJanJanuary161/4/2006 9:45:37 PM632719899370000000.Clickhere to visit Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project site.