Call me Aeroplane (for CF)
holder of the world altitude record for humans
higher than the highest-flying birds
I look down upon vultures and geese
lowly in the jetstream
from this height
my eye a satellite, a lens, the all-seeing
iris of a spiralling raptor
I see your lengthening shadow
retreat from the stone wells
sacred to Bedouins and desert travellers
strewn about with ribbons
grown weary with calling
to your deep reflection
to your loss
like some great catch
in the throat
like grief, like wind, like a cry
which echoes upon high
knowing now
that I can never land again
sick with height
call me Aeroplane
