A Common Bond, by Manuel Erickson

~ To the Memory of Bruce Daffe

I don't know you who shares the air with me as you fly through;
You don’t know me who shares the air with you.
But there's a common bond between us as you go your way:
Your plane and mine, the love we show today.

I know that if I were to fall you’d search for me 'til night;
Were you to fall I'd search with all my might.
The common bond that flyers have is made of solid steel:
Your plane and mine; it's just the way we feel.

Even flyers don't know what it is that urges us to fly;
It’s not enough merely to climb high.
It could be what we see when we rise above the Earth:
For every time we fly, we give birth:

We give birth through our eyes and let our feelings soar;
We start to sing and dance and what's more,
We feel the common bond between us as we fly away:
Your plane and mine, the love we show today.

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* Bruce Daffe was a pilot who suffered a massive heart attack as he flew his private aeroplane. He was dead before his plane reached the ground. At fifty-nine, he died while pursuing his favourite activity.

© 2001 Manuel Erickson