This is about a woman walking along Belmont Avenue.She walked with great purpose, like Chicago women do, flat and forward. She didn’t swivel at all. She navigated the sidewalk like an upended pair of scissors. She didn’t walk like a lady. She didn’t move like a woman. In all manner, she was a city gal.

This is about a woman walking the aisle of a Southwest airline 727.She blew down the airline aisle, skirt filling the passage with colors of watermelon, ginger and apple. She was a picnic tablecloth in motion and her girl walked in front of her like a mighty-mini Amazon child, all tight hair buns, pink squiggle bows, marching mama to the toilet at the rear of the airplane.

…so different from the other ladies on the plane, ladies doing business. These in crisp black and white. Shirts. Pants. Shoes. Black and white, like 10 pt. newsprint on paper, slotted nicely in their seats.

This Mum and her pup were different, a new breed or a very old one. I thought to call them SHE-tas! giving a cool name to a timeless breed of mums, babes, grandmas who marked their territory wherever they were. I wondered if on land sometimes they faded, got sucked into the scape of land we all inhabit when we arent’ flying.