Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Aviation


Civil aircraft. Photo: ICAO
Civil aircraft. Photo: ICAO

“Working Together to Ensure 

No Country is Left Behind”

(Theme of International Civil Aviation Day for 2015-2019)
“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who... looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space... on the infinite highway of the air.” ― Wilbur Wright

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

“Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.” ― Henry David Thoreau

Amelia Earhart"Aviation, this young modern giant, exemplifies the possible relationship of women and the creations of science. Although women have not taken full advantage of its use and benefits, air travel is as available to them as to men."--Amelia Earhart

“Flying might not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price.”― Amelia Earhart






Midweek Motif ~ Aviation




Today's motif may feel like a complete change of subject, 
but it can be as political or non-political as you make it.


7 December is International Civil Aviation Day. Interesting that it is the same day as the USA National Pearl Harbor Remembrance. Do the two uses of aviation~for war and for peace~balance each other out? 

I rarely fly.  I've been finding flying increasingly uncomfortable from airport security and wait time to take off, flight service and landing. But still, flying to a remote location for vacation is a privilege that carries romance as well as discomfort and danger.


Our Challenge: Compose a new poem from the point of view of someone looking out the window of a flying machine.


Laurie Anderson's "From the Air"




Related Poem Content Details

(At What Used to Be Called Idlewild)
The line didn’t move, though there were not 
many people in it. In a half-hearted light 
the lone agent dealt patiently, noiselessly, endlessly 
with a large dazed family ranging 
from twin toddlers in strollers to an old lady 
in a bent wheelchair. Their baggage 
was all in cardboard boxes. The plane was delayed, 
the rumor went through the line. We shrugged, 
in our hopeless overcoats. Aviation 
had never seemed a very natural idea. 
. . . . 
(Read the rest HERE at the Poetry Foundation.)

excerpt from New York to San Fran

Related Poem Content Details

. . . . 
Once more wingtip lifting to the sun
& whine of dynamos in the
stunned ear,
and shafts of light on the page
in the airplane cabin — 
Once more the cities of cloud
advancing over New York — ­
Once more the houses parked like used
cars in myriad row lots — 

I plug in the Jetarama Theater
sterilized Earphones — ­
it’s wagner!
the ride of the valkyries!
We’re above the clouds! The
Sunlight flashes on a giant bay!
Earth is below! The horns of
Siegfried sound gigantic in my ear — 
The banks of silver clouds 
like mountain ranges

I spread my giant green map
on the air-table — 
The Hudson curved below to the
floor-drop of the World,
Mountain range after mountain range,
Thunder after thunder,
Cumulus above cumulus,
World after world reborn,
in the ears 
. . . . 
(Read the rest HERE at the Poetry Foundation.)

Courage 

BY Amelia Earhart


Courage is the price that Life exacts

     for granting peace.
The soul that knows it not
Knows no release from little things:
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear,
Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear
     The sound of wings.
How can life grant us boon of living, compensate
For dull gray ugliness and pregnant hate
Unless we dare
The soul's dominion? Each time we
make a choice, we pay
With courage to behold the resistless day,
And count it fair. 




Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky below and visit others in the spirit of the community.  AND: please put a link to this prompt with your poem.  

(Next week Sumana's Midweek Motif will be Music. )


16 comments:

  1. I took flight in a different direction! Happy Wednesday, all!

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  2. Hi Everyone, nothing like taking flight on the wings of poetry...

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  3. Thank you for another motif - as ever a bit of an obtuse take..thank you for flying with us!

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  4. Great theme Susan...I couldn't avoid darkness once again...sigh...

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  5. Hey Poets United! I see I'm late to the party, but that's because I finished my poem at 3AM and had to sleep until at least 8, and then find the picture I remembered taking from a plane window on the way home from Mexico. It isn't as blue as I remembered, but it was 12 years ago and I've seen a few skies in between. So, the tune has been running in my head that we're "flying the many skies of United." Hahaha. Coffee in hand, I'm ready for this feast.

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  6. Hello everyone,

    I do believe I enjoyed myself writing for this prompt❤️ as aviation used to be my career path. Sigh.. sharing my poem "airborne" thank you Susan for the wonderful opportunity; this one's for you!❤️


    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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  7. Susan, A very interesting prompt indeed. Thank you!
    Just a haiku this time....capturing a moment when actually the stars aligned. :)))

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  8. Had to submit one to this theme. Thanks!

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  9. Many time i start a poem, because i exprience a word flow and then a word blog, Stumped, i leave the unfinished piece glancing at it from time to time. Then one day the rest of the word flow follows and walla!! a poem is crafted and i know its finished

    Well thanks for today's prompt and the inspiration to finish a nother poem

    A Happy Aviation Day to all in the pantry today

    much love...

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  10. Hi kids, we had our first snow yesterday and are supposed to get 22 cms tomorrow. So today I must do errands in anticipation of being snowed in (yay!) Hope everyone is having a good day.

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  11. I seem to have added my link under Therisa's name. Oops. Have asked Susan to fix it. Apologies for the confusion,.........

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  12. Susan this was a challenging prompt for me. Glad I tried anyway. Hope you and all are having a good week. Enjoy.

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  13. Just went back to the poem i posted and linked this morning. What a jumble. There should have been 4 not 3 phases. Anyway i edited. Thanks to those of you who read and was able to make sense of it.

    much love...

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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