last week
i flew to Rome
my last trip
42 years a pilot
yesterday i soared
a cloud on the wind
across the oceans
above all nations
today i am grounded
landed to salutes
and celebration
i have been retired
today
i assembled
a model of the airplane
i last flew
today i wonder
about the future
and feel a distance growing
but not from who i am
and tomorrow
like every day
what will be
c’est la vie
from my work life
half spent going
half spent returning
i have learned one thing
the greatest flights
are reserved for those
with earnest hearts that yearn
for love never-ending
