Among the Clouds | Teen Ink

Among the Clouds

May 30, 2010
By reachforthestars96 BRONZE, Albertson, New York
reachforthestars96 BRONZE, Albertson, New York
4 articles 0 photos 2 comments

the engines roar
deafening in my ears
the plane rolls faster, faster, faster…
takeoff!
like a giant silver bird
gliding perfectly through the air
the wind flows gracefully around the wings
weaving carefully
over, under
lifting me higher and higher
I am free here
among the clouds
the sky does not discriminate
man or woman, black or white
the sky is blue to all
my worries dissipate.
ignoring the stern-faced instructor,
I turn, bank, roll
maneuvering perfectly through the air
and passing the test
with flying colors
I let out a whoop
the instructor smirks
but I don’t care
I am a WASP

The author's comments:
This poem was a reading reflection for school to a book that I read. The book is called Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith. Flygirl tells the story of an African-American girl during World War II who wants to become a WASP, or Women’s Airforce Service Pilot. Blacks are not allowed to join the WASP, but the main character, a girl named Ida Mae, is light-skinned enough that she can pass as white.

In Among the Clouds, I tried to express the freedom and exhilaration that Ida Mae experienced when she was flying. I tried to put the reader in the cockpit of the plane, feeling what Ida Mae felt while she was soaring through the air.

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