Contrails

I was driving to work and running a little late. The radio was off as my mind sorted through all I wanted to accomplish that day. The sun was shining and there was a chilly crispness in the air. It was the kind of weather I would like to have all year round. As I glanced at the brilliant blue sky I noticed an airliner flying overhead. It's contrail banked sharply as it turned. That's odd, I thought, they don't usually turn that sharply. I turned on the radio to hear the news that's been recounted a million times since. An airliner had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center, soon to be followed by another. All air traffic was being re-routed and eventually grounded.

I write this because sometimes on these beautiful fall days I find myself looking up at the sky to see if the contrails are straight.