[Poetry Friday] High Flight

Kenneth here.

Thanks to Deowriter for hosting this week.

I took this photo of the image from the tailfin camera of my Qatar Airways flight somewhere over Northern Canada on Thursday morning.

Sitting on a plane 30,000ft up in the sky today made me think of the poem High Flight, written by John Gillespie Magee, and well-loved by aviators.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air…

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue 
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace 
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew – 
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod 
The high untrespassed sanctity of space, 
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God. 

John Gillespie Magee

3 comments on “[Poetry Friday] High Flight”

maryleehahn

February 2, 2020

My dad’s favorite poem. He was an ag pilot. It makes me cry every time I read it. John Denver made a song of it. We played the song at Dad’s funeral.

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Ramona

February 2, 2020

Oooh, Mary Lee, off to search for that John Denver song. Thanks for sharing this poem and your pic with us.

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Jone R MacCulloch

February 5, 2020

A perfect poem for a perfect photo. Bravo.

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