Air and Sea Show

by yahia lababidi

The air is a storm of pitiless steel birds
the terrible beauty of fighter planes
mimicking natural flight formations
with unholy, and thunderous cries

Pirouetting and swooping awfully low
ruffling the feathers of real birds
and small children on the beach below
as they cower in stupefied awe

At times of an alleged war, on intelligence
There’s no swallowing the bitter taste
of smoke, left by these flying guns -
these decorative killing machines

As they elegantly perforate an azure sky
with crude power and overwhelming precision
a frankly obscene display of military might
or the arrogance of shock and aw, shucks

What corruption of the freedom of flying
and the democratic innocence of amusement fairs
these screeching pterosaurs, branded blue angels
O, how they blaspheme...

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Yahia Lababidi is an internationally published writer of Egyptian-Lebanese origin and the author of the acclaimed book, Signposts to Elsewhere, published December 2006. Visit his website at http://www.sun-rising-poetry.com/signposts.html.