Fall from Grace

How did it feel to fall from grace?
Did your heart really stop on the way down?

When I picture it,
it’s like you’re flying with the Blue Angels
and they neglected to give you a pressure suit.
And you’re smiling and looking out the window,
fascinated by the flying sensation,
dreading the height,
fingering the backwards American flag
sewn onto your shoulder. Just for today.
And then the pilot’s hands move on the controls –
All I can think about is how beautiful
the manipulation was.
Still is.

And you’re pushed back in your chair –
your hand falls from that patch –
and the capillaries in your eyes break,
and blood rolls over your retinas.
Suddenly, you’re seeing red to match
the beautiful blue and white skies.
When you pass out, you feel like you’re falling.

So tell me,
how did it feel to fall from grace,
to fall from the heavens,
to plummet from Heaven?

Did your heart really stop on the way down?
Did the whistle of your falling body
remind you of “Landed”?

And god damn you, I love that song.
How dare you?
How dare you?