airplane

Behind the cement wall, an engine rises in my belly, 
Unseen but for the shark's tail

I, with the mind-less courage of a warrior
Run lithe, muscles gleaming steely bronze in the blistering sun

A swan yearns its neck skyward, the paradox of everything 
Resistance unfolds
 
Belief suspended before I see the nose 
Breaking into "I don't know"

Shout after a bird in the distance,
"Tears for your freedom!"

Fallen on trails through heaven left by a smirking cigar, 
"Nothing is for free."

On watching an airplane take off after a long period of not flying during the pandemic.