Gate A-4 by Naomi Shihab Nye

Naomi Shihab Nye is maybe one of my favorite poets now. But she also writes pretty amazing short stories, either fiction or non-fiction, as well. I just read one called "Gate A-4," and it had a very strong message. It tells the presumably true anecdote of when Nye was at an airport, and her flight was delayed. She is asked to comfort an old woman who only speaks Arab, who is crying, as Nye later understands, because she thinks the flight was canceled. Nye explains to her that it's just delayed, so they call the woman's ride home from the destination, and end up calling other people as well. They have a fun time, and other passengers join in on the fun. The message is very clear: differences in color or culture don't have to divide people.

Vivid imagery and details are used thoroughly throughout the anecdote. With dialogue, the reader is able to be in the scene even more. When Nye is speaking Arabic, the reader is sort of able to understand, while still having to guess at a couple phrases. She describes the cookies that the old woman passes out so that I can almost taste them, and she also describes some of the women who receive the cookies. I share the same hope the Nye had when she looked around at the gate, and at the greatly diverse women sharing stories and cookies, that a shared world is one I would like to live in. And, like she does, I don't believe everything is lost. I believe that things like this incident, this small little occurrence that happened by chance, can help shape the world into a more inclusive place.

Link: Gate A-4 by Naomi Shihab Nye