I wanted to share an experience of my first time flying with my father, he was an aerial photographer and pilot for the air force. It was a thrilling adventure for a child of age 10. Hope you enjoy this little free verse poetry and digital art piece!
I, at the age of 10.
Got the chance to be a bird.
Or at least feel like what it was to fly, to soar.
My father had purchased a Cessna 150.
A two-wing contraption which held our life.
At the sound of tires on pavement,
grinding stone against the rubber,
And then, my gut being pulled down into toes
I am like a small bird, taking off into the unknown.
My father pointed out the window.
My throat gasped. My eyes seeing below
I saw things go from big to small within
seconds as we flew higher and higher into the blue.
I thought I was looking at a 10,000-piece puzzle.
So many pieces.
Little odd shapes of green, oblong shapes of water, and squares.
Now I could see…what a bird sees.
The view below, and now soaring so high above Earth,
I was, but one tiny atom of mother Earth.
My father tapped me on the shoulder.
He motioned, for me to put my hands
upon the yoke in front of me
(steering mechanism of a small plane).
I placed both hands apart after observing
how my father had set his.
I watched as he turned the yoke to the left,
My gut fell again into my toes. I felt like I was soaring.
I looked out of the window as we turned in the wind.
A white cloud hung in the sky in front of us.
We flew into the humungous cloud,
I saw white, gray, and space between
other puffy clouds within clouds.
I believe my mouth fell off my face.
Then, boom out of the white and into blue,
Father motioned with his hands that
it was time to head back.
I just stared out the window, soaking in
everything I could see.
We had flown a bit when I noticed we were descending.
The earth felt like it was going to swallow me.
Quickly the small green, blue, and shapes became bigger.
My gut serged up into my throat.
Then, the sound of rubber grinding pavement again,
We roll to a stop, and I sit in the cockpit of
our small plane, while my father safety checks everything.
Appreciating the feeling, that, I was a bird for a moment..