poem

[rod367th]

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 windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high unsurpassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.
 
 Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee
No 412 squadron, RCAF
Killed 11 December 1941

[devious]

Granaten

            Das Wissen stockt
            Nur Ahnen webt und trügt
            Taube täubet schrecke Wunden
            Klappen Tappen Wühlen Kreischen
            Schrillen Pfeifen Fauchen Schwirren
            Splittern Klatschen Knarren Knirschen
            Stumpfen Stampfen
            Der Himmel tapft
            Die Sterne schlacken
            Zeit entgraust
            Sture weltet blöden Raum.

August Stramm

Rough Translation:

Grenades

The knowing stalls
Only reckoning weaves and betrays
Deaf deafens horrid wounds
Clapping tapping burrowing wailing
Splintering clapping groaning
Bludgeoning stomping
The heavens thump
The stars slack
Time horrifies
Stubborness widens dumb space.

[Shiva]

High Flight
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth1,
And danced2 the skies on laughter silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed3 and joined the tumbling mirth4
Of sun-split clouds5 and done a hundred things6
You have not dreamed of -- Wheeled and soared and swung7
High in the sunlit silence8. Hov'ring there9
I've chased the shouting wind10 along and flung11
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious12, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights13 with easy grace,
Where never lark, or even eagle14 flew;
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space15,
Put out my hand16, and touched the face of God17.


FAA Supplement to “High Flight”
1)  Pilots must ensure that all surly bonds have been slipped entirely before aircraft taxi or flight is attempted.
2)  During periods of severe sky dancing, crew and passengers must keep seatbelts fastened. Crew should wear shoulder belts as provided.
3)  Sunward climbs must not exceed the maximum permitted aircraft ceiling.
4)  Passenger aircraft are prohibited from joining the tumbling mirth.
5)  Pilots flying through sun-split clouds under VFR conditions must comply with all applicable minimum clearances.
6)  Do not perform these hundred things in front of Federal Aviation Administration inspectors.
7)  Wheeling, soaring, and swinging will not be attempted except in aircraft rated for such activities and within utility class weight limits.
8)  Be advised that sunlit silence will occur only when a major engine malfunction has occurred.
9)  "Hov'ring there" will constitute a highly reliable signal that a flight emergency is imminent.
10)  Forecasts of shouting winds are available from the local FSS. Encounters with unexpected shouting winds should be reported by pilots.
11)  Pilots flinging eager craft through footless halls of air are reminded that they alone are responsible for maintaining separation from other eager craft.
12)  Should any crewmember or passenger experience delirium while in the burning blue, submit an irregularity report upon flight termination.
13)  Windswept heights will be topped by a minimum of 1,000 feet to maintain VFR minimum separations.
14)  Aircraft engine ingestion of, or impact with, larks or eagles should be reported to the FAA and the appropriate aircraft maintenance facility.
15)  Aircraft operating in the high untrespassed sanctity of space must remain in IFR flight regardless of meteorological conditions and visibility.
16)  Pilots and passengers are reminded that opening doors or windows in order to touch the face of God may result in loss of cabin pressure.

[bigsky]

my name is pancho
i live on a rancho
i make five dollars a day
i go to see lucy
she give me some radish
and take my five dollars away

[Furball]

The Charge Of The Light Brigade
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Memorializing Events in the Battle of Balaclava, October 25, 1854
Written April 10, 1864

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!