Behind the Fear of Flying

What's not to love about the gut-punch
at the top of the runway, the mechanical pain
rising in the engine whine, the reverse plunge
into this wispy blue that's so much
more than just a backdrop for a change? When
the earth secedes the wheels and the sheer tonnage
of the steel machine gives gravity
the stomping it deserves, I slip the clouds
a smug little smile. Finally allowed
to relax, I do it almost unwillingly,
already missing the grip of elevation,
that feeling of launched smallness that forces out
my real fears: long goodbyes, love, descent—
any old brand of slow-dying sensation.

Copyright © 2004 Jason Nemec All rights reserved
from Meridian
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission