Four Second Delay
25JUN15
The craft await rebirth in nylon webs
Plane’s womb filled with sharp-lined mass
The ramp unseals, transforms to gaping maw
— Noisy sky and azure expanse below
Drogue chute deploys, furling in fickle winds
We stand in unison to perform our benediction
A final check of pins and equipage
At the signal, many tons of finely-honed steel
Loosed upon the elements with a vicious heave
Twin leviathans ripped from their stillness
And we sprint for the opening in pursuit
Diving one by one, into an alien world
One Thousand
Face down to the infinite blue
Legs tucked, arms outstretched
Two thousand
Horizon hoves into view
Welcome friend in the maelstrom
Three thousand
Bodies settle to earth bound fall
Gravity asserting dominion at last
Four thousand
Reaching for the ripcord
A supreme act of faith and confidence
Open open open
Good canopy above, such a magnificent sight
Then a chaotic spiral downward
Track your boat — drifting on rivers of air
Find it— follow with singular focus
The ocean looks placid, deceptively so
Until watery impact, sooner than expected
Submerge, slither out of your chute
Sidestroke the rest of the commute