Tranquillus
By Flight Lieutenant J D Turner RAF 1942
To loosen as I must, terrestrial ties,
I’ve ventured high and seen the world below,
Tranquility of these celestial skies
Would rarely touch the man behind the plough.
In ecstasy, I’ve chased the clouds and laughed,
I’ve skimmed their tops and dived into their midst,
And circled round a single sunlit shaft
That marks the place whereon the sun has kissed.
The furthest reach of man, the solitude,
Another world, meant only for the few,
The furies of the heavens seem subdued
Up there, into the endless miles of blue.
The ever changing winds unending song,
A breathless hush, attempting to deny
Yet playfully sweeps reluctant clouds along
Assist in vain, no matter how they try.
The joy of being king in one’s own world
Supplementing mystique of the night,
And having one’s most cherished thoughts unfurled
To speak aloud during nocturnal flight.
A cloud, pretending anger, rears it’s head,
Rising in majestic darkened storm,
But in an instant, changes to instead,
A lightened and much less aggressive form.
The many moods of nature thus abound
And I will try to understand the trends
Then I will pray and hope I will have found
The reason why I and God are friends