A L O H A !
After living below decks
on our boat for 20 years,
I now have intimate communion
with cloudy friends & relatives
from my high parapet.
Planes arriving and leaving
via Honolulu International Airport
fly offshore, along the coast of Waikiki.
I have a nice view of landings
and takeoffs
under my oversight
Joint Base Hickam-Pearl Harbor
is in the same vicinity.
Here an F-22 Raptor
sports like a
spirited pony.
Boeing C-17 Heavy Airlift ships
globe-hop from here:
Humanitarian missions
throughout the Pacific
in times of disaster:
Samoan tsunami-
Japanese earthquake/tsunami.
And, yes,
they carry people & arms
to war.
( Returning warriors
are usually aboard chartered
commercial craft. )
Here Airforce One
says goodbye to Oahu
after a visit
by the First Family.
See the plane to the right?
High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
— John Gillespie Magee, Jr
Where are they all going?
Aloha-
Of course, there are those of us
who have found our home,
our Shangri La,
here in Honolulu Town.
Happily
visitors like to come
and visit us-
JOLLY!
Thank You
SO
for being among them-
Warmly, cloudia
out cloudia mahahalo for your kind words of my post about my post of the loss of love. thank you for your encouragement during this time. your words don't e unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking strictly about its looks and abilities the F22 is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI live near an airport too - but I do not have a good view and it is not a large one with interesting flights. Still, the poem pretty much sums up what I think of flying.
ReplyDeleteI see you are still reveling in the joy of being a landlubber Cloudia. It's such a delight to read about your feelings for your new abode. Such interesting things you see from way up there, and Kitty also looks completely settled. I enjoyed this a lot.
ReplyDeleteYou actually saw Air Force One up in our Hawaiian skies? That's incredible, Cloudia. Blessings to you and Tom.
ReplyDeleteThat Raptor looks almost UFO ish
ReplyDeleteWOW Airforce One!
ReplyDeleteI am not just impressed with the photos, I am impressed you know which plane is which
ReplyDeleteHugs High Flier--My dream is to fly in an F-18!
ReplyDeleteThanks for fanning the flames!!!
J
From water to high rise...how exciting. Man you can see really well from where you're at! Lovely poems. Have a nice week Cloudia! =)
ReplyDeleteAh, looking up is always fun, and yes, you'd have a constant reminder of this sky and these birds when you are not below deck. Are you missing any part of your former residence?
ReplyDeleteThe view from your condo is so rich with interesting sights.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying land dwelling. I'm impressed too that you know the names of all these planes. How cool to have seen Air Force One.
Have a great day Cloudia.
I love your vantage point of the skies! What fun! Everytime I venture into Waikiki I wonder where you and Ron are.
ReplyDeleteAfter working for almost 28 years for an aircraft manufacturer I always look up when I hear a plane, just to see if it is one of ours. Your pictures are lovely – I like the last photo of the aircraft under the cloud formation.
ReplyDeleteHow I would love to be on one of those planes going to Hawaii.
ReplyDeletethese comments truly make my day. Thank YOU so much.
ReplyDeleteDon't miss the boat, it was great - now it's over. . . .
You could get a job with the Air Force! Kitty got more stripes, she's becoming a tiger! DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteyes! Stripes should be the title of that shot!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat about those of us who no longer want to fly? Do we have to remain earthbound or can we let our thoughts fly freely?
ReplyDeleteThe Zen of Catness. ~Mary
ReplyDeleteFeels like a whole different world up there. Thank you for lifting me head and sight.
ReplyDeletePlease have you all a good Tuesday.
daily athens photo
all so beautifully captured!
ReplyDeletenamaste /\ from mumbai
aloha!
You've lived below deck on a boat for 20 years! I guess I missed a post or two. Wow. I can see living on a boat, but were you simply physically unable to be on deck?
ReplyDeleteI got a movie today about some people who lived in a far North city where they could go a long, long time moving around the city in overhead walkways and so forth without ever going outdoors. So, they bet which of them could stay inside the longest, but they all started to feel trapped; the stress of being indoors had become a greater challenge than the logistics of staying indoors. So, how did you survive that boat?
Beautiful, warm, and up there! I love it!
ReplyDeleteLucky you - to have found your heaven on earth!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely view! Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, cher! Thanks for stopping by and for all of your kind comments.
ReplyDeletethoughts fly free!
ReplyDeleteSO happy these lovely ones roost here
I love watching planes take off and wonder what adventures the passengers are on. That poem is magnificent, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI live by a major airbase and see a lot of traffic if in certain areas, far from my home.
ReplyDeleteSo varied and interesting!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images, Cloudia!
Nice pictures, I love those delicious shades with beautiful skies. Greetings.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful skies, and an equally beautiful cat. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCool pics Cloudia, what a great idea for a post :)
ReplyDeleteGreetings, as always, from Pearl Harbor :)
A nice story, and, good pictures.
ReplyDeletei'm craving Waikiki, blame it on that plane!!
ReplyDeletealoha!
Yes, a magnificent poem!
ReplyDeleteAnd equally thrilling to me
that you dear come visit
and leave me these AWESOME comments.
I'm very grateful; Thank YOU