"Prayer Plane" by Sean Lyon

Cabin lights are dimmed
in the morning out of respect
to those weary travelers

electing to sit-sleep,
or hunch-snooze.
Other arms rise up

in that canister of darkness,
not in unison but like
in an individual epiphany,

rising gently up as through
cloudless air from the horizon
of seatback and headrest.

Stretching toward button beneficence.
A holy reading light—
the heads bow, lips move

over words, through atmosphere.
Glowing symbols levitate
up from illuminated laps.