My eyes
Like saucers
Reflect the scene before me
Video game screens
Showing the four engines
Screaming at takeoff power
Turning fuel into smoke
At an alarming rate
The copilot calls out V1
We’re really moving now
Almost floating above the concrete
In our manic run to the end of the runway
Pressed back into my seat
Thrilling to the thrust
I’m taking it all in
The approaching red lights
Marking the end of the road
The speed bug hits VR
I hear them call “Rotate!”
And the horizon disappears
I’m pushed into my seat harder
An involuntary smile painting my features
The pilot and copilot throw switches and levers in a choreographed dance
Calling out checklist points to one another
Climbing hard through 2000 feet
I close my eyes
And sigh
How lucky am I
To fly jumpseat
On a Boeing Whale
In these times of taking things for granted
And being mired in the Michigan mud
No comments:
Post a Comment