HIGH FLIGHT

IN MEMORIAM TO DEATH ON A DAYLIGHT FLIGHT...
OCTOBER, 11, 2006 of CORY LIDLE, YANKEES PITCHER

OH! I HAVE SLIPPED THE SURLY BONDS OF EARTH,
AND DANCED THE SKIES ON LAUGHTER-SILVERED WINGS,
SUNWARD I'VE CLIMBED AND JOINED THE TUMBLING MIRTH
OF SUN-SPLIT CLOUDS - AND DONE A HUNDRED THINGS
YOU HAVE NOT DREAMED OF - WHEELED AND SOARED AND SWUNG
HIGH IN SUNLIT SILENCE. HOV'RING THERE,
I'VE CHASED THE SHOUTING WIND ALONG AND FLUNG
MY EAGER CRAFT THROUGH FOOTLESS HALLS OF AIR...

UP, UP THE LONG DELIROUS, BURNING BLUE
I'VE TOPPED THE WIND-SWEPT HEIGHTS WITH EASY GRACE
WHERE NEVER LARK, OR EVEN EAGLE, FLEW -
AND WHILE, WITH SILENT LIFTING MIND I'VE TROD
THE HIGH UNTRESPASSED SANCTITY OF SPACE,
PUT OUT MY HAND AND TOUCHED THE FACE OF GOD.

BY JOHN GILLESPIE MAGEE, JR. PILOT, KILLED IN WORLD WAR II.
SONNET 14 LINES
RHYME, ABABCDCD EFEGFG
RHYTHM, IAMBIC PENTAMETER, 5 SHORT/LONG ACCENTS PER LINE
METAPHORS, LAUGHTER-SILVERED WINGS, HALLS OF AIR, BONDS OF EARTH
PERSONIFICATIONS, SHOUTING WIND, TUMBLING MIRTH
ALLITERATIONS, SOARED, SWUNG SUNLIT SILENCE, SLIPPED SURLY, BURNING BLUE, FLUNG FOOTLESS, SANCTITY SPACE
GRAND THEME, FINAL TWO LINES