{"id":2654,"date":"2017-03-21T09:11:02","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T13:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cuppacoldwater.wordpress.com\/?p=2654"},"modified":"2017-04-05T11:53:24","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T15:53:24","slug":"dirge-in-an-airplane-aisle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2654","title":{"rendered":"Dirge in an Airplane Aisle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2653\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?attachment_id=2653\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?fit=4896%2C2760\" data-orig-size=\"4896,2760\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X100T&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1478071947&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;23&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0058823529411765&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"_DSF3568\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?fit=300%2C169\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?fit=640%2C361\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2653\" src=\"https:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?resize=640%2C361\" alt=\"_DSF3568.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?w=4896 4896w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?resize=300%2C169 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?resize=768%2C433 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?resize=1024%2C577 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?w=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Guest post by <a href=\"https:\/\/cuppacoldwater.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/14\/philip\/\" target=\"_blank\">Philip<\/a>, written from a tiny airplane seat.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dirge in an Airplane Aisle<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ladies and gentlemen, we gather here today,<\/p>\n<p>To put this large and awkward duffel bag away,<\/p>\n<p>That young man struggles with vigor and vim.<\/p>\n<p>Note that he is trying, and be patient with him.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The audience grows, the crowds in the aisle,<\/p>\n<p>Behind the dimensionally inept boy begin to pile.<\/p>\n<p>Work harder, young lad, if you push hard enough,<\/p>\n<p>Your duffel bag just may turn into a duff.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A larger space is found by an audience member.<\/p>\n<p>The show&#8217;s over now, but this day we&#8217;ll remember,<\/p>\n<p>As the time when a boy wouldn&#8217;t trust his eyes,<\/p>\n<p>When his bag wouldn&#8217;t fit in a space half its size.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guest post by Philip, written from a tiny airplane seat. &nbsp; Dirge in an Airplane Aisle Ladies and gentlemen, we gather here today, To put this large and awkward duffel bag away, That young man struggles with vigor and vim. Note that he is trying, and be patient with him. &nbsp; The audience grows, the crowds in the aisle, Behind the dimensionally inept boy begin to pile. Work harder, young lad, if you push hard enough, Your duffel bag just&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2654\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[89,90,94],"tags":[96],"class_list":["post-2654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-post","category-humor","category-travel","tag-airplane-poetry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dsf3568.jpg?fit=4896%2C2760","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8A8kG-GO","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6218,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6218","url_meta":{"origin":2654,"position":0},"title":"Let&#8217;s Chat","author":"Rachel","date":"March 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"There are days when inspiration just spills out of my brain, and witty and engaging posts practically write themselves, complete with illustrations. I love those days, and sometimes I'll write several posts at once and schedule them for the following weeks. And then there are weeks like this one. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Writer's Block\"","block_context":{"text":"Writer's Block","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?tag=writers-block"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/img_3259.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/img_3259.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/img_3259.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/img_3259.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/img_3259.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7740,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=7740","url_meta":{"origin":2654,"position":1},"title":"Happy Anniversary To Me, With a Side of Pandemic","author":"Rachel","date":"April 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"March marks one year since I made the momentous move from my wee North Carolina town to Queens, NYC. On March 8, 2019, I was saying my soggy farewells to everyone who was gathered at the annual youth conference, then packing my damp self into the rental car with Abby\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Musings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=91"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2334-e1585927108199.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2334-e1585927108199.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2334-e1585927108199.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_2334-e1585927108199.jpeg?fit=900%2C1200&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6362,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6362","url_meta":{"origin":2654,"position":2},"title":"Packing for a Week In Paris","author":"Rachel","date":"May 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"When I lived back in the mountains of Honduras without a vehicle, and took the bus everywhere I went, I learned to pack nothing more than the bare essentials. After all, nobody wants to lug pounds of hairspray and extra towels through crowded bus terminals and for miles down the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=94"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/fullsizeoutput_1a04.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8847,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=8847","url_meta":{"origin":2654,"position":3},"title":"My Wedding Day","author":"Rachel","date":"August 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Ahh, after ten months of planning, the day was here. October twenty-five dawned, a beautiful, clear, sunny fall day, with absolutely perfect temps. Since our wedding was at 7 PM, I slept until a reasonable hour and had a chill morning showering and checking my overnight bag was packed and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Brooklyn Tabernacle&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Brooklyn Tabernacle","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=511"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/10252024-rachelian-0550-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/10252024-rachelian-0550-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/10252024-rachelian-0550-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/10252024-rachelian-0550-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/10252024-rachelian-0550-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8796,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=8796","url_meta":{"origin":2654,"position":4},"title":"Joys and Regrets From My Wedding","author":"Rachel","date":"September 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Now that I have the perspective of nearly a year since my wedding, let's chat a little about what worked great for us, and what I wish we could have tweaked a bit. And if you've had one too, please chime in and tell me all your own wedding joys\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Life in NYC&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Life in NYC","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=462"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/10252024-RachelIan-0225-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/10252024-RachelIan-0225-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/10252024-RachelIan-0225-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/10252024-RachelIan-0225-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/10252024-RachelIan-0225-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2103,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=2103","url_meta":{"origin":2654,"position":5},"title":"Brandon Michael","author":"Rachel","date":"February 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The brown boy was an exceedingly sober baby, and making him smile was really an accomplishment, as he preferred to just stare at you with his big brown eyes. He had a large vocabulary, and at a tender young age, instead of just saying \u201cBag\u201d, he asked me, \u201cIs that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Relationships&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Relationships","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=92"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9692.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9692.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1 1x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9692.jpg?w=525&h=300&crop=1 1.5x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9692.jpg?w=700&h=400&crop=1 2x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9692.jpg?w=1050&h=600&crop=1 3x, http:\/\/cuppacoldwater.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/img_9692.jpg?w=1400&h=800&crop=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2654"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2901,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654\/revisions\/2901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}