Learn To Fly

[El Wow!]

Learn To Fly

Climbing slow, a buzz in each ear,
I strained to lip read.
He’d taught Spitfire pilots,
and must have realised I was prime steak.
The ex-world war two pilot spoke with calm,
I smiled sweetly in-between lunges of terror,
gradually relaxing onto the delicate, friendly joystick.

Just level it, with the horizon, steady, you have control.
More he talked, slower I breathed,
over clouds into the sun we droned.
My tongue looser, I quizzed his forties adventures,
we’d tag clouds, he quipped, want to see?
Oh yes please! And daydreaming a moment
I gazed at fluffy pillows a hundred feet below.
I could see it, wheels gently scuffing cloud-tops,
as we numbered each in a Disney movie scene,
with Dick Van Dyke chalking them from a sooty rooftop.

Got to find the right one, he said,
my mind secured its parachute, right one??
He took over the single-engined Grob, there, he pointed,
a handlebar moustache glaze in his pupils,
and I saw a leather flying helmet appear,
halo-like above him.
We careered downward, fast, bloody fast
edging nearer a huge cloud silhouette, and, BLAM.
He tipped the wings vertically, and our aircraft's back,
clung tight to the rain chief, shaving inches
of vapour off it, and my life.
Regaining height after two revolutions,
I handed out free sick looks,
and muttered a few pleading sentences,
containing 'no' and 'more',
before retreating behind lines.
I still have the almost treasured photo, and tax disclaimer,
after landing,
showing a hypnotised ghost
in flying overalls,
holding up a plane.

[Danté]

El

You seem to really get into these visual and physically descriptive peices.
To good effect I might add. Larger peices are not to everyone´s taste, personally I enjoy them and feel they have their place. In fact I write beig descriptive poems too, and enjoy the letting rip with the visual metaphors. I enjoyed this and only have a couple of minor nits.

He tipped the wings vertically, and our aircraft(')s back,
clung tight to the rain chief, shaving inches
of vapour off it, and my life.
Regaining height after two revolutions,
I handed out free sick looks,
and muttered a few pleading sentences,
containing no more, I couldn't help feeling the ambiguity of this halted me slightly
before retreating behind lines.
I still have the almost treasured photo, and tax disclaimer,
showing a hypnotised ghost You might also want to make these images slightly more tangible
in flying overalls,
holding up a plane.

Other than that, I thought it a very fitting Sunday afternoon read.
Obviously feel free to disregard my minor nits as you please.
Good stuff, once again.

Many thanks

Danté

[Angus McQuaid]

Hi El.

I agree; very visual. What is it like flying with Biggles?

I have the impression that this was based on an experience. Would I be right?

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Angus.

[El Wow!]

El

You seem to really get into these visual and physically descriptive peices.
To good effect I might add. Larger peices are not to everyone´s taste, personally I enjoy them and feel they have their place. In fact I write beig descriptive poems too, and enjoy the letting rip with the visual metaphors. I enjoyed this and only have a couple of minor nits.

He tipped the wings vertically, and our aircraft(')s back,
clung tight to the rain chief, shaving inches
of vapour off it, and my life.
Regaining height after two revolutions,
I handed out free sick looks,
and muttered a few pleading sentences,
containing no more, I couldn't help feeling the ambiguity of this halted me slightly
before retreating behind lines.
I still have the almost treasured photo, and tax disclaimer,
showing a hypnotised ghost You might also want to make these images slightly more tangible
in flying overalls,
holding up a plane.

Other than that, I thought it a very fitting Sunday afternoon read.
Obviously feel free to disregard my minor nits as you please.
Good stuff, once again.

Many thanks

Danté

cheers dan....the no more line had bits missing from it as the apostrophe should be afteer plane's silly me, ta for the aid
El

[El Wow!]

Hi El.

I agree; very visual. What is it like flying with Biggles?

I have the impression that this was based on an experience. Would I be right?

Thanks for sharing it with us.

Angus.

hi angus......yes, someone won this flight (plus a trip in a helicopter and an open biplane.lol)...and strangely they didn't want to go, so i stepped into the breach, like a fool. was very enjoyable, despite the place being full of people putting in hours to get their pilots licence and daring pilots allsorts of stuff. the heli was nearly as scarey, when some prat asked the pilot whats it like if the blades stop....yes..he turned them off and we dropped like a stone, no wonder the back seats smelt of sick...i shan't mention the biplane lol. yes was from real life lol
cheers
El

[Suzanne]

"and muttered a few pleading sentences,
containing 'no' and 'more',"
I loved this line and clipped it to quote it before I read it was a tweak! Good tweaking!

"I smiled sweetly in-between lunges of terror" - I also loved this one, I laughed when I read it, nice visual..

Great read, like a little adventure at home.
Suzanne

[El Wow!]

yes, little adventure it sure was lol...pleased the tweaks got ya suzanne
thanks for the reply
El