Permission for Landing

I might have dozed off for an hour when I heard the pilot...
"as we make our descent, please fasten your seatbelts."

I could see the clouds outside of my window. Red lights flickered thru the white bright light.
Felt like a twilight zone episode....any minute now an alien would appear at my window.
Then we emerged from the clouds as we flew lower....closer....to our runway.
The city emerged from the darkness.....
orange streetlights forming tic-tac-toe grids on the ground,
but without the X's and O's.

I always get excited when I'm landing......landing in Chicago. Other cities don't bring out the same level of happiness....giddiness.....but that's because those cities aren't Chicago....those cities aren't home.