064: Please Come Flying

Elizabeth Bishop, three of SBB's best travel-themed essays, the new Louise Penny Substack launch + a cactus flower that bloomed overnight in my garden

I’ve spent a lot of time on airplanes these past few weeks, relatively speaking. I’ve flown a lot less than the protagonist of Walter Kim’s Up in the Air, but enough that I got upgraded to Pro-Comfort/Business-Adjacent+ seating, or whatever it is called, on my most recent transatlantic flight.

I was into it: I liked the little pouch of complimentary sundries (especially the lip gloss and the cute, compostable toothbrush) and the fact that they brought me wine five minutes after I sat down. I liked being able to sleep without scrunching my face into the metal seat arm.

I like the things that money can buy.

I wish that many more people had access to them.

I wish that carbon emissions weren’t an issue.

Every time I hear the pilot say “Flight attendants, prepare for boarding,” I think of Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “Invitation to Miss Marianne Moore.” It starts like this:

You can see why I generally mis-remember the poem title as “Please Come Flying,” and why I will forever associate taking …