Curt Bennett, 'One Fine Day'

[duathir.livejournal.com]

One Fine Day

As far as the eye could see
The cloud cover stretched the horizon,
Broken only by tops of tallest mountains,
A soft, gauze mantle protecting the earth,
As to the east, the day star sun
Glowered the horizon in yellow fierceness
Promising to soon burn the thin mantle off
And bake the tropical forests below.

We loitered, skimming the cool, white sky sea,
The shadows of our aircraft ringed in rainbows
Hanging in silence the stillness of the morning
The radios crackled quietly in the background,
From unseen frantic men in crises below,
Running from an enemy closing in to kill them,v
As helicopters swarming the clouds below
Urgently coordinated the rescue.

The first Huey labored up and broke the clouds,
Trailing wispy tendrils of cloud-moisture
Off the ends of frantically whipping white-tipped blades,
Rotors fingers hungrily clawing the thick morning air.
An umbilical rope stretching down dragging behind,
Attached to six desperate men clinging to the cord,
Like fish anchored to a line, they trailed the clouds.

Slowly the Huey gained altitude climbing towards the sun,
Then another and another rose from the clouds,
Each trailing men holding on for life,
Green khaki knots they stretched the wind.
We lazily turned parallel to escort the Hueys
Back to the nearest landing zone
Where they would take aboard the men
They had rescued from certain death.

As we turned in orbit behind the choppers,
One of the green blobs lost hold on his lifeline,
Plummeted, arching towards his death.
In helpless, grim fascination, we watched him go
Plunging down through the quiet morning sun.
At the last moment, he spread his arms out wide,
Like Jesus on a cross, he swan dived and seemed to float,
For a brief moment skimming the clouds
Then disappeared.

by Curt Bennett