Decades Apart

When I was a child, and the world was full of good things
All I wanted to do was fly, and I knew no one could tell me I couldn’t
Our world, the one we live in but have forgotten how to live in
Was full of possibilities and endless promise of what I could be
On my the very first plane ride I remember, it was stormy
Afraid and reduced to a cowering mass of curls in my fathers lap
Teary little eyelids shuttered hard against the thunder and turbulence
With no rest announcing itself to my exhausted bundles of nerves
Shaking hard until arms cradled around me offering assurance
When I was a child, and the world was full of good things
I remember a lean man, tall and mustached with the voice of a god
Towering over us, assuring us all that we would make it through
That the storm would pass and that we were built for this weather
And my breathing started coming slower as I sopped up my nose
Brushed the wet hair from my tear soaked cheeks and sat up high
Faced a throng of smiling angels in matching stewardess uniforms
The smell of scotch, pipe tobacco and coffee intimately rich in the air
Resting against the heartbeat of my father, his suit jacket my blanket
When I was a child, and the world was full of good things
Sleep came and I drifted through the clouds, dodging lightning bolts
Running barefoot through the flooded grass with my skirt muddy
Into the arms of my mother, who’s towel was soft and warm
And it absorbed all my trepidations like a vacuum of hope
Righted the cold, the muck and the rain until the sun came out
Because the towels were washed with love, and came with assured arms
I knew that there was a closet full of them and they smelled like solace
When I was a child, and the world was full of good things
I awoke, hurtling 400 miles per hour towards places I did not know
With family that I counted on to protect me, and shelter me
On my chest, a shiny pin of heavy golden wings that wore my smile
I never felt so sure than in that moment, that I held the world in my hands
I could see down the aisle, past the controls and right out the front window
The ground as it came up to greet us with a thump and caught us tightly
Delivered us onto the waiting earth, a gaggle of happy tears and warm embraces
When I was a child, and the world was full of good things
Wings were made of solid gold, not breakable mold-able plastics
Cockpits were open, and the well dressed pilots were gods among us
Airplanes were modes of taking your dreams where they wanted to go
Not bearers of bad tidings, nor thrown weapons used with evil intentions
Towels were soft with use, and constructed from fabric that didn’t fray
They hung on the line, rocking back and forth in the arms of the gentle breeze
Polluted by sunshine and careful attention, not manufacturing and greed
When I was a child, and the world was full of good things
Family was a well constructed unit, unbreakable against the mobs
Father and mother, sister and brother singing songs on road trips
And taking each others hands when the sirens roared and the winds howled
Banks were full of college funds, and savings accounts. Pennies and hard work
Men and women who put in an honest days work and didn’t complain about it
Where a deck of cards and the company of friends was a welcome intrusion
And trust and hope were commodities not traded on the open market
But held close and fostered like I was a child,
and the world was full of good things.