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A slightly fantasized retelling of an actual event, in memory of my grandfather. |
Earning My Wings My grandfather's home was the sky His heart aloft from the ground An engineer whose mind helped Launch our first shuttle to space I remember fresh-lacquered wings drying On sawhorses, floating eye-level in his garage But a flutter in his heart stole their air His license flown away, never to return Unhappy photos of him, fettered to the ground I grew up wishing he could feel the wind again Soon after leaving the nest, my lessons began But the ground took him, too soon The morning I earned my wings I alit from my perch so early Wing'ed faeries still flit about Setting diamonds to the leaves A stern stranger with clipboard sat right seat Ready to catch any falling mistakes Checklists and run-ups--then "Clear!" Turbulent questions as we taxied Cessna's were not designed for the ground An empty soda can rattling on breezy asphalt But as the Earth dropped beneath its wheels An aluminum bird returned home Climbing the sky brought my grandfather's eyes Smoothed my sputtering nerves The clipboard man slipped behind a cloud My purpose became clear blue sky I'm a bird, climbing, rolling, stalling, diving ... Until the airport reminded me of rented wings Runways below shaped like a crooked cross The shorter piece tree-hemmed and disused I faltered when clipboard pulled a lever My engine mock-failing before approach Too far to glide to the longer runway The shorter pitted asphalt too close below My confidence fell, mind stalling in midair Then ... I imagined a hand touch my shoulder I heard "Whoa!" from the right seat The plane banked, left wing pointed at the ground Right pedal down, flying sideways We side-slipped straight down, Righting, flaring, touching like a feather Before my hands were my own again I felt my grandfather's proud grin In place of clipboard's shocked stare I taxied back to undeserved praise Happy he got his last flight |