A Red-Breasted Robin perches on a limb
at the edge of an airport runway.
As a plane approaches and slows to zoom
onto the landing strip, I wonder
at the bird eagerly watching.
I remember standing on the Golden Gate Bridge
to watch The Fleet Come In many years ago,
and marvel at the Blue Angels flying formations
and daring feats of danger and bravado overhead.
As the crowd dispersed, I saw a group of five seagulls
effortlessly flying a formation in the opposite direction.
Technology imitating nature? Hundreds or thousands
of people and machines working together to simulate
the flight of birds who soar by birthright.
The caution of Ruth Bell Graham plays in the back
of my mind, to be humble when we fly and look
down on the peaks and grandeur of mountains,
that by right, we should only ever look up to in awe.
I think of the birds and wonder, do they look at us and laugh,
or are they on the sidelines coaxing us along
as the bigger creatures, watching our toddler attempts
and our intricate, complicated play?
~by Liesl Garner, 3-3-13
photo from here
Absolutely wonderful! I used to fly a little plane, and spent most of my time in the air in awe. Lovely poem!