The Point of a Ship in a Bottle is the Bottle
       —a line from James Galvin

The Chihuahua's courage
is enhanced by its leash,

just as Beethoven's late beauty
resides in the silence
of the keys his fingers mash.

Outside there's the overbearing pressure
of fingers of humidity so heavy

a harmony of heat and dust and water vapor
rises into a billowing music
that promises to electrify the audience
of pines already on their feet.

We invest so much in our suffering—
patient because I bear her
angry downpours, merciful
for forgiving my cruelties—

but how can you tell if you've lost both engines
when a flight's defined by its turbulence?

and if there's trouble mid-flight
what good is locating the nearest exit?

Who would we become without
everything that's held against us?

In case of a loss of cabin pressure

put the oxygen mask
over your face
first.

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Copyright © 2011 Martin Arnold All rights reserved
from Asheville Poetry Review
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission