Gate A-4

One of the most important themes of “Gate A4” is the power of kindness. The poem is a meditation on how ordinary acts of kindness can transform a mundane, situation into a life-affirming experience. By crossing a language divide and a sense of cultural isolation, the characters of “Gate A4” perform a series of kindnesses that gradually dissolve the tension inbuilt in a familiar and potentially distressing scenario in which an older woman is marooned at an airport where few speak her language. The woman’s traditional dress, her crying, and her own language are enough to make an “other” of her. On any given day, airline staff could deal with her in an impatient and harried manner, and her fellow travelers could ignore her, choosing to stay away from her predicament. However, on this particular day, a day like any other, the speaker decides to overcome her own hesitation and reach out to the woman. Not only does she mitigate the woman’s immediate distress, she also decides to spend time with her, making phone calls and providing comfort, abandoning her own plans to wander the terminal.

The first kindness the speaker shows the woman exists in the language the speaker uses to communicate with her; the second exists through the gift of time.