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A Thought for Today
Everyone's entitled to his or her point of view. Be strong
enough to believe in your own.
Toady's letters are all concerned with
feedback from previous Flight Plans. There was a lot of mail to Maggie's request last week
for the origin of and the words to "High Flight."
HIGH FLIGHT
Dear Mr. McKuen, I'm writing in reference to the letter from Maggie
in today's Flight Plan ( 7-22-99) concerning her request for the words to the poem,
"I Touched The Face Of God." I believe the poem she is looking for is called
"High Flight" by Major John Gillepsie Magee, one of my favorites. Major Magee
was an American/British fighter pilot, and the poem was written on the back of an envelope
of a letter to his parents. I was thinking of this poem when I learned of the JFK Jr.
tragedy, and thought that John, Carolyn, and Lauren have indeed touched the face of God.
I'm enclosing the complete poem, which can also be found on the Internet, along with
further information on Major Magee.
High Flight - by Major John Gillespie Magee
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies of laughter-silvered wings
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds--and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
During these sad days it is comforting to turn to your daily Flight
Plan and read your thoughts and poetry. Take care, and God bless, Sandy Vanorman
Washington state
Dear Sandy, Thanks for providing the information Maggie requested, including the text of
"High Flight." Quite a few of the letters I received mentioned Major Magee's
poem in light of the tragedy involving John Kennedy and the Bessette sisters, Lauren and
Carolyn. Others commented of how they were able to track down the poem and gave further
information on its origin. Rod
. . . I remembered immediately the poem she was referring to as it
always touched me as well. I did not, however, know the name of the poem or remember the
exact words. I did a short search on the web to no avail. I knew it was considered a
pilot's prayer and was popular with the armed services. Who better to ask then the Air
Force? In searching US Air Force on the web, I came across Wright Patterson AFB. I
e-mailed them a question about it, but had no idea how long it would take to get an
answer.
Then, since I live in Las Vegas, I phoned Nellis AFB. They decided the best place to ask
was where there were a bunch of pilots so they transferred me to the Weapons School. Sure
enough, the young man who answered, Staff Sergeant Barry Chute, knew exactly what I was
looking for. He couldn't remember the name, but said he knew how to find it. Within about
30 minutes a copy of the poem was coming in on my fax machine.
I went to my computer to answer you and found an e-mail from Janice Bright at Wright
Patterson AFB. She had sent me a web address where I could get a copy of the poem.
It is nice to know that your Air Force is there to help in so many ways, not just to
protect our country. I really appreciated their quick response and effort in getting this
information to me. The poem just as touching now as it was many years ago when I heard it
last. Linda Woolacott
In December 1941, Pilot
Officer John G. Magee, a 19-year old American serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force in
England, was killed when his Spitfire collided with another airplane inside a cloud.
Several months before his death, he composed his immortal sonnet "High Flight,"
a copy of which he fortunately mailed to his parents in the USA. Charles Van Orman
Was reading A safe Place to
Land and saw the request for the poem " High Flight " It will always be a
favorite of mine. Thank you, for letting me share one very small thing with you after all
the wonderful things you have given me. Carollea
The author was John Gillespie
Magee Jr. He was a US Air Force pilot and he was killed in his plane shortly after writing
this piece. I believe this was during W.W.II and he was only 20 years old at the time. It
gives one pause to think what might have been if this young man had lived long enough to
write more. Here are the words if you would please forward them to Maggie. Thanks,
Eva-marie
It hangs in our home and can
usually be found framed in religious bookstores. Carol Rupp
I'm sure I'm not the
first to send you this, but just in case. It is indeed a favorite of we air force types,
though many others have enjoyed its beauty over the years. Hope you can pass this along to
Maggie. Take care. John Gillespie Magee, Jr. was killed in the Battle of Britain, age 19.
Take care, David Swetz
Thanks to all of those who responded to my request on behalf of Maggie and her search for
"High Flight." It truly is a memorable work and it's easy to see how it has
become a widely loved work in the nearly sixty years since it was first written. Rod
THE BESSETTE SISTERS & JOHN KENNEDY
Dear Rod, Thank you for the flight
plans for yesterday and today, dedicated to the news of the loss of John Kennedy. The news
hit me, as I know it did so many others, very hard. I was not yet twelve when JFK was
elected president and his campaign was the first presidential campaign I took an interest
in. I remember so well watching the inauguration on television (a snow day kept us out of
school!), and the idealism and promise of that administration had a lasting effect on me,
as I know it did on many of my generation.
When President Kennedy was assassinated, I was sitting in a geometry class (definitely NOT
my best subject), contemplating the fact that I would turn15 the next day and rejoicing in
what I considered a miracle-an A on a geometry quiz! Somehow the whole world seemed to
change when the announcement was made that someone had shot the president in Texas. I felt
as though all lights had gone out. We briefly hoped that someone would turn one on again
when Bobby ran for office, but his death seemed to change things forever. The "sick
sixties" took so many of our heroes, and a decade which began with so much hope and
promise, so much idealism, seemed to end in darkness. The idealism of my generation seemed
to turn into cynicism and apathy, with so many "turning on" to drugs and
dropping out of society.
But John and Caroline, who suffered so many tragic losses since that wintry January day
when their father took the oath of office, never seemed to lose their idealism. John could
have sat back, enjoying the privileges his name and money would give him, clipped coupons,
and lived a life of enjoyment and emptiness. But he chose, as has most of his family, to
try to make a positive difference. Now a tragic accident has cut short his very meaningful
life, and once again we are aware of a promise unfulfilled.
Reading your flight plan today, I have to say that I also felt as though we've seen the
end of an era. I think we're mourning the father again, as well as the son. But I also
want to address your comment about the futility of life. I have to say that I can't
believe any life is futile. None of us has any idea how many people we touch and what
effects we have on the lives and actions of others. You, Rod, have no idea how many people
have been effected by your poetry and music, how many lives have been encouraged by
reading your writings, and how many people have found the freedom to express their love
for others, simply because Rod McKuen helped them know it was alright to do so.
Rather than think of life as futile, maybe we should apply that adjective to death. John
F. Kennedy was president for less than three years, and since his death we have learned
that maybe he wasn't quite the Arthur or Lancelot we thought he was in life. But his words
and his public actions have inspired more than the generations that remember his
presidency. So many have dedicated their lives to service because of what we remember of
him. And people who weren't even born in 1963 seem to feel they remember him.
A few years ago, my father and I took my nephew, then in junior high school, to
Washington, D.C. One of the visits Dad especially wanted to make with Nathan was to
Arlington National Cemetery. I remember feeling a bit cynical as we approached the Kennedy
grave. The stories about his private life had had their effect on me, an idealistic
teenager at the time of his death. But as I read the words from the inaugural speech, I
realized that the legacy he left us was a beautiful and meaningful one. What he and his
brother Robert made us believe about ourselves and our ability to effect change, as well
as our duty to serve is as important as anything they may have done in their public and
private lives.
Perhaps more important. John Kennedy, his beautiful wife, and sister-in-law are gone. But
their lives will have more effect than we can ever imagine or know. As Coral wrote, just
the fact that we grieve for them is an indication of how important their lives were to us.
They won't be forgotten. I am praying for the two families who have lost so much this
weekend, and for the three lives that were taken so tragically (although I know they are
beyond the need of prayer). But I am also thankful for you, Rod. Your sincerity and caring
for others, those you know and for complete strangers, your offering a forum for people to
express their feelings, and your ability and willingness to express our feelings for us,
when "those of us with knotted tongues" fail. Thank you for caring and for
showing that you care. God bless you. Love, Kathy
Dear Kathy, thanks for your thoughtful letter and the affirmation. I suppose I share my
futility with lots of others who believe that no matter what or how much you do, it can
never be enough or as good as it should be. Time is definitely not on anyone's side, nor
is the desire to learn more and more about our capabilities and where we fall short enough
to give us all the knowledge to make us significantly better. But, we have to try. What
The Bessette Sister and John Kennedy did with their short lives, in terms of public
service, inspires us all. Rod
Dearest Rod, I was born the same year as Princess Diana and was 36
years old when she died. I watched 38 year old John Kennedy lost this weekend. Once again
someone my age faced death. I could never compare myself to the celebrity and profile of
these individuals. I can compare the precious gift of life. The devastating loss of yet
another person with great influence and potential is so very distressing. Thank you for
your words and sharing the tears. Brenda L.
Dear Brenda, There isn't much I can add to what you've said. You've managed to cut through
all the editorializing by TV's 'talking heads' to get to the one word that makes this kind
of news difficult to believe and come to terms with; "potential." Rod
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING: WES DID IT
Last week on the Pass It Along Flight Plan I credited the wrong man for sending me the
"Test Photographic Downloadable Software". It was passed on to me by Wes
Fishman, sorry Wes. It might interest you to know, though, that after using it one readers
claims to have found an early photograph of me. For those who missed it, here is that
program again.
"This new program
is a test version. Take a look and see if you don't think it has possibilities. Cut and
paste the site below; then follow directions." Wes Fish
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/3072/camera1.html
More mail tomorrow. Once in a while a remembered quote is fun to pass along. This one is
witty and a bit mean spirited, it concerns one of today's birthday subjects, the great
George Bernard Shaw. Oscar Wilde said of him "He hasn't an enemy in the world &
none of his friends like him." Ouch.
- RM 7/25/99 Previously unpublished |
