Saturday, August 21, 2010

High Flight


High Flight 

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 even 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

A couple of evenings ago I took this photo of the contrails that seem to mark an X in the sky with the moon nearby.  I thought of this poem that was read  while showing a jet soaring through the sky played at the end of the broadcast when the tv station signed off for the night many years ago.  Do you remember this?

Until next time...

5 comments:

  1. As usual you left my soul with your thoughts and pictures.
    Hugs to you! LeAnn

    ReplyDelete
  2. "...the surly bands of earth..."

    I love this poem, and especially the sounds of the words above. There is nothing as moving as a well-crafted phrase.

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love this poem, but do not remember it in this context. I remember my professor reading it when the Challenger went down in 1986. Very few of us made it to class that afternoon, but he made us feel better somehow for the life that would go on, for the joy it was for the astronauts to be living their dream, and then he read this poem. Thank you for the bittersweet memory. Beautiful photo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am very familiar with this poem, it hangs in our home. CH is a pilot. He flies no more but this poem still chokes me up everytime I read it. It is beautiful. A beautiful picture you have there too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Cheryl, YES---I do remember that.... When I started reading the poem, I knew that I had heard it somewhere.... Now I know!!!!!!

    That is a gorgeous poem--and your picture is perfect.... Thanks for sharing...

    Thanks for coming to my blog... I hope you come back often. I am enjoying yours. We have something in common with our love of birds.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete