Flying in the Sky with Wings

I watch the ground descend
Below me
The trees shrink—
Tiny green dots
Beneath
Long white wings
And I drown out the popping of my ears
Concentrate on the vision...
Hills and lakes drifting away.
The clouds drift on
Free and intangible
Flowing.

Crazy girl,  watching the sky
Around me
Open, untouched, and clear
Enveloped in blue
Saturated
In calming peace
And I want to stay in the sky forever
Looking down at green and blue mixing
Rolling hills meet rolling waves
I could drift above them
Quite and untouchable
Smiling.

Doing the Most

I've been stretched thin,
Trying to do it all--
Determined not to quit,
Determined not to fall
And stretch my wings
Just a little further, higher
Keep pushing until I get there—
Until I'm the strongest flier

Riding on Clouds at Sunset

Stepped off the cliff
Expecting to fall,
Expecting the splash of water
The splash of me colliding--

I didn't expect to land
Soft billowy clouds,
Soft shocks stimulating legs
Shocks stimulating my mind...

Looked down for a minute
At the water passing by
At the rocks below me,
The rocks I escaped.

Its better to look ahead
Watch the trees whirl by,
Watch the eagles as they fly
The eagles--I could be like that...

Free. Flying.
A different sea of blue
A different view of the world,
View of me from above--

Flying Stealth in the Night

Between rolling white clouds
And glittering gold stars

Image created by John Cortes

Below the moon, but above the seas--
Where the wind blows swiftly
Beneath heavy wings,
I fly undetected.

Disappear from the radar
Lose touch with the world below
As I journey from past to present
From your present to my future--
Speeding through empty skies,
I rise above gravity.

Crossing the T's and Dotting the I's

The fun (and burden) of poetry is when you re-read a poem and realize it completely captured a moment or idea (or that it didn't quite hit the mark). Last month I wrote "Heavier than Steel, Lighter than a Feather" but it didn't quite feel right. After submitting it for a critique and reading some of the comments I decided to do some editing and make some improvements. Perhaps next month, I'll look back and think this is exactly right (or maybe I'll edit it again).

Artwork by MechanicalHyena and found on deviantArt.

Heavier than Steel, Lighter than a Feather

They told me I was broken:

My arms unable to survive

And I heard them crank the saw--

Caught the glimmer of it's silvery blade,

Braced myself for the sound of pain,

Readied myself for the loss of flesh--

Dead weight can only hold you down...

So I laid there,
Drowning in my own tears.

Anticipating the loss from which I could not heal.

Time stretches on

Agonizing--

And the sound of the saw fades--

I hear doctors' voices,

Muffled in my stupor,

I hear them talking,
Hear them plotting...

What to do with the broken human?

The poking and prodding begins,

No reprieve from my suffering

Not a moment of silence or an ounce of peace...

But for the sound of the drill

There above my shoulder drilling

And the hammering--

I feel them pounding.

What more suffering can I endure?

I'm already broken...

So I pass the hours slowly

Tick, tock--

Until at last the mayhem stops...

And there hangs an unusual weight 

A tremor of pain from sore shoulders.

There lies something new 

A replacement for broken flesh--

My eyes catch the glimmer of green

Soft, beautiful green, glittering with gold

Caressed by the gentle touch of blue,

I see feathers flying free,

Hanging in place of what use to be...

Beautiful metallic wings, 

Crafted a top metal arms and metal joints--

They move with my thoughts,

They bend at my whim.

And I know, now, they are part of me...

Perhaps I'll fly away,
Look down on this memory
From skies soft and blue--
Just above the clouds
Chart my own way
Through turbulence, through rain...
There in the warmth of the sun,
In the presence of light
I fly high...

I spend my eternity
Basking in the presence of stars.

Heavier Than Steel, Lighter Than A Feather

They told me I was broken:

My arms unable to survive

And I heard them crank the saw,

Caught the glimmer of it's silvery blade,

Braced myself for the sound of pain

Readied myself for the loss of flesh--

Dead weight can only hold you down...

So I laid there, drowning in my own tears

Anticipating the loss from which I could not heal,

Agonizing--

Time stretches on

And the sound of the saw fades--

I hear doctors' voices,

Muffled in my stupor,

I hear them talking, hear them plotting:

What to do with the broken human?

Then the poking and prodding begins,

No reprieve from my suffering

Not a moment of silence or an ounce of peace...

But for the sound of the drill

There above my shoulder drilling

And the hammering--I feel them pounding

What more suffering can I endure,

I'm already broken...

Tick, tock, I pass the hours slowly

Until at last the mayhem stops

And there hangs an unusual weight 

A tremor of pain from sore shoulders.

There lies something new 

A replacement for broken flesh--

My eyes catch the glimmer of green

Soft, beautiful green, glittering with gold

Caressed by the gentle touch of blue,

I see feathers flying free,

Hanging in place of what use to be...

Beautiful metallic wings, 

Crafted a top metal arms and metal joints--

Yet they move with my thoughts,

They bend at my whim

And I know, now,
They are part of me...

Dance of the Hummingbird

Quietly it waits,

Flutters rapid wings

Hidden from prying eyes

Invisible, in the forest's shade

It waits...

It chooses to be found,

Chooses to be seen.

How beautiful

The buzzing of colorful wings

Freely claiming the sky

Announce their presence

And flaunt its beauty--

Wait for it,

It's not bound to iron bars

Steel cages or human expectation

Its heart is wild:

Unclaimed and untamed

Enigmatic and sporadic

On a journey of its choosing

And it waits patiently

Moves in its own time.