747 Sunset

I never saw a sunset
Until I was above the clouds
Orange light bathing cotton candy
Spread out upon endless horizons

Mesmerized through the cockpit windows
Until waves of color rippled across

A slow motion ocean of red
Swallowing the orange of endless foam

A magician's velvet cape of purple
Sweepingly chasing the red

An invisible squid's ink of black
Squirting all the soft landscape soon after

Dyeing the evening scene
Setting the stage for the stars
To form their living planetarium overhead
Teaching a new lesson each and every night

Steam gauges glow a faint yellow
Electronics thrum their steady hum
And the wings creak in steady time
To the constant push of four thundrous engines

Pushing us from time zone to time zone
Until clocks become relative to our speed
With four hours to go
Then three
Two
Diving down through those clouds
With only an hour left

Coastal lights in sight
Feet dry
Stars gone
Dead dirty earth beckoning us back
From our flight amongst the heavens

A shudder and a shake
As the gear doors open
Buffeting the airframe
Green lights shine
Showing down and locked
ILS lights pulse a living light road

Across the threshold
20 feet
15 feet
10 feet
5 feet
Eighteen rubber chuffs

"Home at last
Home at last"

Is a lie I cry out
As I have left my heart
Up in that starry sky above