Signatures

Flying, too, is personal
(forget that control panel maze)
Taxiing--dashing, steady, or discreet
Or P.A. to passengers:
Drawl, space-talky, clipped midwest
Revving up, too, idiosyncratically,
Like a surgeon, steady,
or more revolutionary,
trying to blow up an engine
for safety's sake.
Then, suddenly, taking off--
Climbing manically,
fleeing earth's dirtiness--
or barely lumbering free
like an under-winged bird.
And banking to blind signals
delicately, as in kissing new,
or masterfully, dashing,
building to a climax surely.
And landing, of course,
landing
Easing slowly to safety
or holding back,
the longer the lovelier
given the right runway
and proper timing.
Oh, and also,
crashing
erasing still
another hand at the controls.