Amelia's Grin
John Jessup Kennan 1953 (Pomona)
I've been flying solo for so long
Spokesmodel for beleaguered sorts
Sometimes it depresses me
Just to hear the weather report
It's a very fine blue line
Along longitude and latitude
That line between cloud and fog
Between loneliness and solitude
I worked so hard for that degree
In conquest, man's world to win
License on the wall next to Amelia
Grinning that boyish grin
I thought it was gonna be fun
To go conquer those wild blues
But endless flights to nowhere fall
Prey to the Navigator's ruse
Compass, pointless, stays a stubborn course
Commands a contraption's moods
Stuck between cloud and loneliness
Between fog and solitude
I worked so hard for that degree
In conquest, man's world to win
License on the wall next to Amelia
Grinning that boyish grin
Sometimes I wonder, was I blinded
In the fight for the right to flight?
So low on fuel, so high and alone
In the middle of the dark of night
Maybe I land on an island
Maybe freefall into the sea
As I float through the streets in my hybrid
Do they wonder what became of me?
I worked so hard for that degree
In conquest, man's world to win
License on the wall next to Amelia
Grinning that boyish grin
I convince myself of safe landing
Cross the lawn, and turn the key
So many flight details to share
There's nobody here but me
Amelia grins like a skeleton
Pre-flight into eternity
I wonder whatever became of me
Have I disappeared into the sea?
I worked so hard for that degree
Woman's conquest, man's world to win
License on the wall next to Amelia
Grinning such a boyish grin
I settle in to watch the news
Navigate away from the weather
Flying like Amelia
Floating like a feather
The suggested dose of nightly fog
Settles around me comfortably
Oh, Amelia, where have you gone?
Why have you abandoned me?
I worked so hard for that degree
Woman's conquest, man's world to win
License on the wall next to Amelia
Grinning such a boyish grin
© John Kennan 7-22-18
(Of heroes and dreams
Variations on themes
Be careful what you wish for
It ain't always what it seems)
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Submitted by rankstranger7 on May 24, 2021
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:55 min read
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Quick analysis:
Scheme | xxax xbcb ADED fgxg xxxb ADED xhxh xaxa ADED xaxa faaa ADED giei caxa ADED f jjxj |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,958 |
Words | 370 |
Stanzas | 17 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1, 4 |
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