Chase the Wind
The experience of H.A.L.O.
Different each time
But,
When done
Seven Miles High
At the break of dawn
There is nothing to compare.
As you ride the metal chariot
to that altitude
you question the veracity of
your decision,
but your resolve
is set.
You sit in your assigned spot
you feel the vibration of the engines,
they carry you to an unknown fate
as your aircraft gains in speed and altitude
rushing headlong into the ever-lightening void
where the velvety soul of the retreating night
surrenders to the paling edge
of the dawning of a new day.
Into the reverie of your thoughts
the blare of the klaxon jerks you back.
Back to the reality of what you are going to do.
The final gear check
Stand at the ready
The ramp lowers
then stops.
You look into the maw of Eternity
a blackness that beckons,
with the winking of
unevenly spaced
specks of light.
Entreating you to join them
in the forever void of nothingness
You feel the suction of the night wind
pulling you towards
the precipitous
First Step
You hear the roar of the
unseen monster
taunting you!
challenging you!
to leap into the maw of the
unknown that awaits.
The muscles in your back and legs
begin to contract,
you feel the tension build throughout
your body that is,
SCREAMING
for the release
of action
Your hands shake
your throat is dry
you are poised on
RAZOR’S EDGE
The Jump Master finally signals
you cannot hear the words
but you know them
‘ Go- Go- Go’
In a burst of furious energy
you accelerate towards the end of the ramp!
At ramps end
YOU DIVE!
INTO ETERNITY!
in full abandon of common sense
You are now in a different reality
the rules that govern normal human behavior
no longer exist.
The world now consists of you
and the rest of your life
A new sense of freedom previously
unexperienced
commands your thoughts and senses,
you perceive your surroundings with
a clarity undefined by limitations.
You are truly
Chasing the wind
At 35,750 feet
there is no sense of falling
nor of the cold.
You turn toward the dawn
and fly
to greet the sun.
You aim for a bank of clouds,
your arms fold back toward your sides
You attain
Maximum Velocity!!!
You are the speeding bullet!
You want to scream for pure joy
but the wind rips the sound from your mouth
before it can be uttered.
You punch a hole through the clouds
roll to your back
and watch the tendrils of white fleece
as they provide the testimony
of where you have passed.
As you exit the bank of clouds
Mother Earth again makes her presence known
beckoning you back to the other reality.
Without knowing how or when,
you sense a loud pop,
half of a heartbeat later
you feel a massive jerk
throughout your body.
When you look up you see
the canopy deployed
You should feel elated
you have completed another jump….
But the truth is;
you feel cheated
Because now
you must walk
with the other humans.
Until again
You can
Chase The Wind
