Planes are What the Wind Became

Planes are what the wind became

After people tamed it and taught it to fly

First they walked it on tethers from hot air balloons

And showed it that there is such a thing as falling into heaven

Then they fed it wood from soft pine

And dreams of birds with hollow bones

They watched as it thrashed about kicking up the dust

Pawing at the sky, at space, at the infinite, unable to fly

Then the people thought maybe our spirits are falcons high above the desert

And the sun-baked wind is our soul

And they fixed their wings and waited for a sunny day

And it came

One sunny day in an open field

For a moment their minds flew

And arced across the sky like the breath of the sun

And that was it

Then the people could see into the future

They imagined wheels that rolled sideways through the air

And engines that burned the memories of young earth

Until they flew high above the clouds

From there they thought space was not so far away

Orbit was like an old friend who wore rockets on his back

You could float there

And just dream and dream and dream like the spirits of old gods