Just Passing By

Land my Cessna in the setting sun
short, canyonland strip,
cut the mixture, switch the master
sit there hip to hip,,
Globe of the sun sinking below
the horizon, sky turns dark
open the doors, stretch our legs
out on a bit of a lark,

Back of the plane, Coleman cooler
fetch two beers to drink
ask you how you’re feeling
what is it that you think,
Air turns cool, stars show bright
put on a coat for the night
in your journal scratch some words
show me what you write,

Latitude, longitude, elevation
air temperature and wind
flight time from where we departed
all on a bit of a whim,
Away from the plane, start a fire
heat up the stew we made
each open another beer
thinking we have it made,

Lay on our backs, count the stars
looking at time and space
how could it possibly be
we’re the only human race?
Are we just one-in-a-million?
a million more out there
infinity is a big number
and we are just one pair,

Zip our bags together
the ground sheet on the sand
a distant coyote calling
across this desert land,
We fall to sleep together
as a meteor arcs the sky
perhaps an alien spaceship
just passing by,