O little town of Baltimore, have you seen our bags? | READER COMMENTARY
On the one-year anniversary of the 2022 Southwest holiday meltdown, of which our family members were “victims,” I submit this poem: O Little Town of Baltimore, to the tune of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (“Southwest Airlines fined record $140 million by DOT over 2022 holiday travel meltdown,” Dec. 18).
O little town of Baltimore, how still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the Southwest flights go by.
Yet in thy dark streets hideth, our bags heavy and light;
How they got here from Denver, we’re left to guess tonight.
Our flight was booked for Dulles, but that was not to be.
Southwest imploded, leaving us: United to D.C.
Two extra days in Denver, the clothes upon our backs;
To look our best on Christmas Eve, we shopped at TJ Maxx.
Days more in Colorado, returning Christmas Day,
Our bags of clothes and skis and boots, their where’bouts none could say.
We finally reached the airline, spoke with Marie by phone:
“We’ll send your 13 bags to you, to Dulles or your home.”
Our longtime friends, the Gaskins, a similar tale were told.
Except for them, of 17 bags, BWI two did hold.
Will G, a “man of action,” traversed up there to see,
As things turned out, the “just two bags” did number in the teens.
Will got great help from Kalique, the baggage claim knew he,
Found five of ours, 15 of theirs, leaving just 10 unseen.
We took our turn this morning, responding to the call.
Our hearts did fear at news our gear was boarding a U-Haul.
Wait, wait, we said, please hold it — we’ll drive it home ourselves.
They stopped the truck by magic of dear Lana and her elves.
They took our bag claim tickets and hunted those bags down.
By noon today we’d filled our sleigh and headed back to town.
Southwest still boasts “bags fly free” — we wonder, what’s it worth?
But praises sing to God the King, our bags are back on earth.
Our ski trip lives in infamy, the slopes seem far behind,
Yet all is well: Christmas is still, good news to humankind.
— Steffen Johnson, Arlington, Virginia
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