Whilst Flying. Poem by Fay Slimm

A moonless night, and in mid-air flight
The pilot dimmed plane's internal light
To see, unseen cosmic sight.
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Eighty thousand feet up in the air.
Higher than anything flying there,
Gave sky-view of a scene so rare.
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Gleaming expanse of the Milky Way.
Brilliant white-striped delight, and swaying
With glittering light before his gaze.
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Canvas was studded with sparkling stars,
Clustered most densely, then from afar
Space was shot through with golden bars.
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Like a firework display without sound.
Every few seconds stars darted around.
With radiance not seen from the ground.
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An eerie shine, of celestial glow,
Lit incandescently heaven's show,
Despite speed the plane seemed to slow.
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To a humbled stillness, and was part
Of a much greater power, which startled
The pilot's unbelieving heart.
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Taken aback, he thought then, the plane
Compared to this, could not be again
The pride of the sky as acclaimed.
..............................
He was left wordless with what he'd observed
As he noted the glory whilst flying 'Blackbird'


Taken from written experience of a
pilot of SR 17 'Blackbird', in flight..