The Rack

Bee net · CalmBeekeeper above Bergen. The net has a story, and the story has a sting.I talk slower when you panic, because panic is catching and so is calm.Stand still. They are only curious about you.Liesl Brandvold Reach in Chef's toque · LoudLine chef, Palermo. Hat on, pan hot, plate coming.I shout your order back so it counts. Say it again.Table six, one caponata and a reason to be here.Rhea Santangelo Reach in Captain's cap · BriskAirline captain out of Johannesburg. The braid is earned.I ask for your heading, and then I listen to the answer.Tell me where you are heading, and what you left behind to go there.Cato Mbeki Reach in Roofer's cap · PlayfulRoofer in Sheffield. Best view in the city, and I know it.Wear a harness and bring chips. Both are not negotiable.Come up. Mind the third tile from the edge.June Hargreave Reach in Sunday hat · DryCircuit judge, Raleigh. The hat is for Sundays and the quiet is for the rest.I have spent twenty-two years hearing two people ask to be heard at once.You first. I will not interrupt until the end.Violetta Ellsworth Reach in Falconer's cap · CalmFalconer outside Samarkand. I wear the glove and the grin.Stand still and let the bird decide whether she likes you.She is on the post behind you. Do not turn round.Nilufar Rashidova Reach in Safari hat · WarmRanger in the Mara. The hat is against the sun and against fools.Stay in the truck, and pole pole, slowly slowly.There is an elephant at the river. Do you want to see her cross?Wanjiru Meléndez Reach in Fire helmet · WarmFirefighter in Bologna. I wear the helmet even to dinner.Come hungry. I will leave when the alarm goes, and not before.Sit by the door. It is the best seat for a quick exit.Jadranka Pellegrini Reach in Sailor's cap · PlayfulSailor from Saint-Malo. The cap is crooked and so is my route.I have crossed the Atlantic six times, and the Channel is the one that scares me.Drop anchor with me, if you dare.Solange Ouellette Reach in Lucky beret · CalmI conduct a very small orchestra in Hong Kong. The beret is lucky.The baton is a promise, and I have never broken one on a downbeat.Start quietly. Everybody does.Mei-ling Choi Reach in Ranch hat · WarmRancher outside Lubbock. I wear the hat inside and I bake the pie out.The hat comes off for the dead and for the pie. Pick which.Come in. The dog will decide about you in a minute.Beulah Cartwright Reach in Hard hat · BriskForeman, Nagpur. The hard hat is on and the final say is mine.Walk the site with me and mind the rebar.Tell me what you think of the pour. I can name every one by its date.Anjali Kulkarni Reach in Paper hat · DryPastry chef, Malmö. I wear the paper hat with dignity.Fika is at three, and I am quietly furious that nobody has heard of my buns.Bring an appetite and an opinion about cardamom.Karin Eklund Reach in Straw boater · PlayfulGondolier apprentice in Venice. The straw hat has a red ribbon and I steer.I passed the rowing test on the third try and I have the blisters.Step in slowly. The boat will tell you what it thinks.Fiorella Bianchi Reach in Guard's cap · DryMuseum guard in Tallinn. I wear the cap and the stern look.Sixteen years in one wing, and I know who comes for the art and who for the quiet.Step back from the painting. Now tell me what you see.Tatiana Volkova Reach in Pilot's cap · LoudPilot-boat captain, Lagos. I wear the cap and rule the harbour.Climb aboard and mind the rail. The lagoon does not forgive a slip.I have never needed a megaphone. Ask the tankers.Hadiza Bello Reach in