There's a
whisper in the tower at 23:39
When the Night Plane’s ready to depart,
Saying 'Sabena where is Sabena has he gone to hunt Ribena ?
We must find him or the plane can't depart.'
All the CSAs and all the porters and the regulators’ daughters
They are searching high and low,
Saying 'Sabena where is Sabena for unless he's very quick-witted
Then the Night Plane just can't go.'
At 23:42 then the Gate’s nearly due
And the passengers are frantic to a man -
Then Sabena will appear and he'll saunter to the back:
He's been busy in the cargo hold!
He gives one flash of his rum soaked eyes
And the signal goes Gate Closed'
And we're off at last for the northern part
Of the Western Hemisphere!
When the Night Plane’s ready to depart,
Saying 'Sabena where is Sabena has he gone to hunt Ribena ?
We must find him or the plane can't depart.'
All the CSAs and all the porters and the regulators’ daughters
They are searching high and low,
Saying 'Sabena where is Sabena for unless he's very quick-witted
Then the Night Plane just can't go.'
At 23:42 then the Gate’s nearly due
And the passengers are frantic to a man -
Then Sabena will appear and he'll saunter to the back:
He's been busy in the cargo hold!
He gives one flash of his rum soaked eyes
And the signal goes Gate Closed'
And we're off at last for the northern part
Of the Western Hemisphere!
You may say
that by and large it is Sabena who's in charge
Of the Y class cabin.
From the pilot and the FAs to the TSAers playing cards
He will supervise them all, more or less.
Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces
Of the travellers in the First and in the Economy Basic;
He establishes control by a regular patrol
And he'd know at once if anything untoward occurred.
He will watch you without winking and he sees what you are thinking
And it's certain that he doesn't approve
Of hilarity and riot, so the gate lice are quite quiet
When Sabena is about and on them ove.
You can play no pranks with Professor Sabena!
He's a Cat that cannot be ignored;
So nothing goes wrong on the Midnight Plane
When Professor Sabena is aboard.
Of the Y class cabin.
From the pilot and the FAs to the TSAers playing cards
He will supervise them all, more or less.
Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces
Of the travellers in the First and in the Economy Basic;
He establishes control by a regular patrol
And he'd know at once if anything untoward occurred.
He will watch you without winking and he sees what you are thinking
And it's certain that he doesn't approve
Of hilarity and riot, so the gate lice are quite quiet
When Sabena is about and on them ove.
You can play no pranks with Professor Sabena!
He's a Cat that cannot be ignored;
So nothing goes wrong on the Midnight Plane
When Professor Sabena is aboard.
Oh it's
very pleasant when you have found your little den
With seat 14A written on the bin
And the seat is a bit worn with a crinkled safety card
And there's a load of crap on the floor.
There’s a sort of light - you can pitch or annoying;
There's a button that you turn to make a gale.
There's a funny little basin you're supposed to wash your face in
And buttons on the IFE to confuse mathematicians if you please.
Then the FA looks in politely and will ask you very tiredly
'Coffee, Tea, or me from ‘63?'
But Sabena's just behind him/her and was ready to remind them,
For Sabena won't let anything go wrong.
And when you creep into your cosy 18 inch pitch
And pull up knees to your chest,
You are bound to admit that it's really not bad
To know that you won't be bothered by lice -
You can leave all that to the Airport Cat,
The Cat of the Midnight Plane!
With seat 14A written on the bin
And the seat is a bit worn with a crinkled safety card
And there's a load of crap on the floor.
There’s a sort of light - you can pitch or annoying;
There's a button that you turn to make a gale.
There's a funny little basin you're supposed to wash your face in
And buttons on the IFE to confuse mathematicians if you please.
Then the FA looks in politely and will ask you very tiredly
'Coffee, Tea, or me from ‘63?'
But Sabena's just behind him/her and was ready to remind them,
For Sabena won't let anything go wrong.
And when you creep into your cosy 18 inch pitch
And pull up knees to your chest,
You are bound to admit that it's really not bad
To know that you won't be bothered by lice -
You can leave all that to the Airport Cat,
The Cat of the Midnight Plane!
In the middle of the night he is always fresh and
bright;
Every now and then he opens his laptop again
With perhaps a drop of Scotch while he's keeping on the watch,
Only stopping here and there to catch a pretzel.
You were fast asleep at Atlanta and so you never knew
That he was walking up and down the concourse;
You were sleeping all the while he was busy at Chicago,
Where he greets the stationmaster with elation.
But you saw him at LAX, where he summons the CBP
If there's anything they ought to know about:
When you get to Seattle there you do not have to wait -
For Professor Sabena will help you to get out!
He gives you a shake of his tired old knees
Which says: 'I'll see you again!
You'll meet without fail on the Midnight plane
The Cat of the Concourse.'
Every now and then he opens his laptop again
With perhaps a drop of Scotch while he's keeping on the watch,
Only stopping here and there to catch a pretzel.
You were fast asleep at Atlanta and so you never knew
That he was walking up and down the concourse;
You were sleeping all the while he was busy at Chicago,
Where he greets the stationmaster with elation.
But you saw him at LAX, where he summons the CBP
If there's anything they ought to know about:
When you get to Seattle there you do not have to wait -
For Professor Sabena will help you to get out!
He gives you a shake of his tired old knees
Which says: 'I'll see you again!
You'll meet without fail on the Midnight plane
The Cat of the Concourse.'
Professor Sabena in the style of T.S Eliot
THE END
