Airplane Monument
Thank you for gracing me with this place,
This space of spirits and wind whispers
Where falling leaves are gentle drifters
To the ground, where I am grounded
And surrounded by you.
Thank you for gracing me with your calm quiet forest
That I have held dear in my heart for so long.
I return in my futility
And you show me Mother Nature’s beauty
You embrace me with your branches
And erase my hate
That I thought in me innate.
You soften my soul,
And sweeten my heart;
You sing your motherly song.
Thank you for gracing me with your calm quiet forest
That I have held dear in my heart for so long.
I return to his monument
Where memories of the crash are ever-present
But are not unpleasant
For they remind me of the days when he could fly
Aligned in time with his heart and mine.
And you show me that he is never far off.
In the heart of your calm quiet forest, I feel his own.
All I have to do is look up
And maybe I could hear him and see his plane
Flying overhead.
. . .
But instead,
I see a light
Shining down and all around
And though calm and quiet, I am not alone,
Ever-graced by the sun above and his below
And your ever-constant nurture
I know that I am safe in your nature.
Thank you for gracing me.
I close my eyes
And open my hands.
As I stand on a rock in your field
I feel as though it’s your very own,
And though, far away from its home
I can almost hear the waves of the ocean
Gently rolling in.
. . .
I am greeted by your soft laughter as it blows through my hair
And for a moment I can feel you there.
Right there;
Pervading me and braiding my hair.
I know I can always return to this monumental place I have known
And never feel alone.
For all the memories you have given me
Filled with Joy; filled with love, I am still.
Thank you for gracing me with your calm quiet forest
That I’ve held dear in my heart,
And always will.
Author Statement: This poem is about several elements all at once. It is about a literal place that I’ve always found great solace in going to, but it is also about two specific people who also helped me feel that same sense of solace. This poem is dedicated to them.