IN A DREAM HE ENVISIONED - FLYING IN THE SKY
BUT HOW COULD HE DO THIS - A PLANE HE COULDN’T BUY
HE PONDERED THE QUESTION AND THOUGHT HIS DREAM THROUGH
HE KNEW WHAT HE WANTED, HE THEN KNEW WHAT HE’D DO
HE’D BUILD HIS OWN AIRPLANE FROM SCRATCH AND FROM PLANS
HE’D USE ALL HIS TALENTS AND HIS GOD-GIVEN HANDS
HE’D BUILD A SMALL AIRPLANE TO FLY IN THE SKY
TO LOOK DOWN ON EARTH’S LANDSCAPES AS HIS PLANE TOOK HIM HIGH
HE FIRST HAD TO CHOOSE FROM ALL AIRPLANE TYPES
SO HE STUDIED THEIR STYLES, COMPLAINTS AND THEIR HYPES
A SIMPLE DESIGN WOULD BE JUST THE RIGHT THING
MADE OF FABRIC AND WOOD WITH A LOW MOUNTED WING
A TAIL WHEEL FOR STEERING WHEN DOWN ON THE GROUND
AND A WIDE OPEN COCKPIT TO SEE ALL-THE-WAY ‘ROUND
A SMALL AIPLANE MOTOR TO PULL IT IN FLIGHT
WITH WINGS THAT WOULD FOLD TO STORE IT AT NIGHT
THEN ONE WEEKDAY EVENING, IN A BOOK HE DID BUY
A SMALL AIRPLANE PICTURE CAUGHT BOTH OF HIS EYES
HE KNEW AT THAT MOMENT; HE NEVER SAID MAYBE
HE FOUND HIS NEW PROJECT: A ‘BOWERS FLYBABY’
HE SENT FOR THE PLANS THAT ARRIVED IN NO TIME
HE STUDIED EACH WORD AND CONSTRUCTION OUTLINE
HE CLEANED OUT HIS BASEMENT AND ADDED MORE LIGHT
PURCHASED SUPPLIES AND GOT STARTED THAT NIGHT
HE SORTED HIS WOOD STOCK OF FINE AIRCRAFT PLY
LAID OUT ALL HIS WORK-TOOLS, HIS TAPS AND HIS DIES
HE CHECKED OUT HIS BUCKET OF AIRCRAFT GRADE GLUE
THEN PLANNED OUT THE PHASES OF WORK HE WOULD DO
FORMERS AND STRINGERS, WING SPARS AND RIBS
HIS PLANE CAME TOGETHER AS EACH TASK HE DID
THE FRAMEWORK WAS COVERED, PAINTED CREAM WITH RED TRIM
LETTERED AND NUMBERED, ALL INSTRUMENTS IN
THE ENGINE WAS FINE-TUNED, CONTROL CABLES SET
HE REVIEWED ALL THE WORK-STEPS, ALL TOLERANCES WERE MET
THROUGH FOUR LONG HOT SUMMERS AND COLD WINTERS TOO
HE FAITHFULLY WORKED FOR HIS DREAM TO COME TRUE
AND THEN IT WAS FINISHED, HIS AIRPLANE WAS DONE
A LABOR OF LOVE SINCE HE HAD BEGUN
AND WELL WORTH HIS EFFORT, AS HIS ‘BABY DID FLY
UP OVER THE MOUNTAINS, THROUGH CLOUDS WAY UP HIGH
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PROJECT, HIS WIFE UNDERSTOOD
SHE KNEW HIS WORK DOWNSTAIRS WAS WORTHWHILE AND GOOD
TOGETHER AND PROUDLY THEY NOW SHARE THE FUN
OF FLYING HIS FLYBABY: N 1 4 5 2 1


Copyright 2007 Robert Gellock
Reprinted by Permission