A low rumbling sound
Like thunder
Awakens the conscience
In the distance
The faint image of birds in echelon
Enters the dreamscape
And within moments
Soaring angels appear
While earth trembles with mounting intensity
Gracefully gliding
Over verdant hills
And crop-covered valleys
They streak across
A canvas of cerulean sky
Then plunge toward earth
…a flash of lightning
…a trail of smoke
…an explosion of sound
The turbo-charged engines
Of America’s Blue Angel fighter jets
Thrust forward through space
Their polished metal glints in sunlight
As golden wingtips streak the sky
With ribbons of vapor white afterthought
In one final pass
The angels thrust toward heaven
Then vanish beyond consciousness
Leaving in the mind
The chest-heaving, heart-pounding
Emptiness of contemplation
Wherein the Navy hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”
Gives a soundtrack to dreams
And contrails of “PRIDE”
Hover like a miracle
On the firmament
Of the soul
The inspiration for this poem was watching the Navy Blue Angels at a local airshow. The raw power I felt emanating from those planes was awe-inspiring and shook me both physically and mentally to the core. At the airshow, as the blue angels whizzed by, I saw the same look of unadulterated joy that was on face on all of the faces of the spectators and I realized that despite our differences in ethnicity, culture, socio-economic standing, and beliefs, we were united in that moment by our appreciation for the Blue Angels and for America. So, in this poem, I wanted to capture that feeling of child-like admiration and fascination that transcends the meaningless categories we assign to things or people in our life and connects us intimately as Americans.