Flying Awestruck
After all these years
It still possesses the power to amaze and fill us with awe.
The rush of power,
The mysterious lift,
The surge into the sky
Silence us every time
And turn our mind briefly outward.
Wedged together
Sheep in a holding pen
Room for the body in only one shape
Spirit lulled by a minstrel's tune
Mind drugged by a brewer's stew
And each traveller content
To claim as his own what he can hold
Not to talk about it, as
Restrained by inhibitions, conventions
Patterns of behaviour long accepted
And enforced without rules, judges, or police.
Soon the tray will pass,
Dispensing eggs prepared to be
Insulting to the palate and the hen,
Disbursing dollops of hospitable drudgery.
Beyond a cotton wall
I catch brief momentary glances
Our lords stretch their limbs, extend elbows and arms
Into luxurious space.
The space, the glass and china all declare
Their class and ours.