Looking Beyond #poetry #aviation #columbusday

 

First day on the job

put away the dog eared manuals

unbutton the cowling

I muse:

she’s bigger in real life than the pictures

“no, I don’t need a rag

I’m not afraid of a little grease”

my hands caress her

cutting myself on a sharp edge

first blood spilt

I smile as my blood merges with oil

reminds me when friends became pinky pals

each day was an adventure

each flight paradise

the day I got to run up all four Pratt and Whitneys*

there was no need to fly

I was airborne in ecstasy

I wonder what Columbus’ first day at the helm was like?

**

In many ways as an airplane mechanic in the United States Navy, I felt like I was on uncharted waters. I was one of two women in a P-3 squadron of 100 men. I never minded getting sooty or greasy, but I know it took years for the airmen to believe I was worth anything but something to look at. I enjoyed being a grease monkey when women were still doing “girl jobs.”

 

 

The prompt for Poet’s United Midweek Motif is Exploring.

Photography:

Engine- photography moondust designs

Propeller – wikipedia 

P-3 in Flight Cybermodler