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Madagascar Diary
I. June 14, 1974
End of the earth begins
at Paris Orly Sud
Air France to Tananarive
one stop Djibouti Territory
of Afars and Issas
Mont Blanc to our left
bathed in brilliant red
cool violins on the headset.
After dinner Woody Allen's
futurism on the screen
sleep in clouds of Gaulois
4:15 a.m. Djibouti
last French colony
African mainland
short runway
engines hard reverse
Gulf of Aden flat
hot isolated enough
for nuclear tests
temperature outside 110F
workmen in sleeveless orange
coveralls with AIR DJIBOUTI
stencilled on their backs
plastic sandals exit ramps
Foreign Legion khaki shorts
5:15 out over Indian Ocean
stewardesses hair wet with
champagne strip to towels
to celebrate maiden
voyage across equator
one hour before
le Grande Isle Rouge.
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