Flight 664 had me agitated and bothered since the moment I’d arrived at the Phoenix/Mesa Gateway airport to board the dubious flight headed East to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Hungry and worried over the possibility that risky weather might reroute my flight to Texas or maybe even back to dusky Mesa, I grabbed a burrito, a cold sprite, and took a seat next to an older gentleman who rambled on endlessly about growing up in Tunica, Mississippi during the 40s and 50s. I spoke of my ambivalence with Detroit, but that, no matter what, I loved Detroit and it will always be home. “As a matter of fact,” I said to the elderly gentleman, “I’m headed that way now. Well, I’m gonna land in Grand Rapids, then drive on to Detroit from there.”After more talk on Mississippi and Detroit, the silver-haired fellow left and I pondered on the wonderful stories he’d shared, when all of a sudden it hit me! I had a review copy of Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s new book of poetry, Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life in Poems, tucked in the side of my briefcase.….(more)
