A Year On An Airplane

We flew over the cascades
We were forced to behave while we sat
In rows like children
I crossed some standard state lines
And finally found myself so far away from home
And even though New England intrigued us, thrilled us,
Our bones were cold as sticks and stones
We flew over the cascades
Just to find ourselves in storms we’ve never known
The winds blew like a beast with wings
And yes, everything was blown so far away
And I fell down
I failed to cut its neck
Even after hours of waiting
There was no telling when the storm would find its way
The lands we tried to memorize
We’re no longer wrapped in tepid shades of red
And through the night the storm held me down
And bit my neck and said it would be okay
I stared into the fury
And the beauty of its overwhelming strength
The winds blew like a beast with wings
And yes, everything was blown so far away
And I fell down
I failed to cut its neck
I saw a dim light
In the mouth of the beast
So I followed it in
It’s too late to retreat
It swallowed me whole
And my flesh became meat
Oh I can’t look back now
Because the beast is complete
We flew over the cascades
We were forced to behave