Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


STRATOSPHERE FLIGHT by HELEN KNIGHT GOODING

First Line: A SOLAR SYSTEM DRIFTING GOD KNOWS WHERE
Last Line: THE RACE, WHICH SPEEDS A TOY BALLOON, AT DAWN.
Subject(s): ADVENTURE & ADVENTURERS; EARTH; MARS (PLANET); PLANETS; STARS; UNIVERSE; WORLD;

A solar system drifting God knows where;
The earth a tiny dot among the stars.
And still the hills invincible, stand there
On guard above the vanished sea's old bars.
The bowl is left for this intrepid pair,
Must be to them but one of many scars;
And all this venture into upper air
A childish gesture toward far distant Mars.

The top spins on, still granite cliffs are here.
And man with questing spirit all aglow
Sails out in space to search the stratosphere
Swings high and free, while earth turns far below.
And still the hills inscrutable look on
The race, which speeds a toy balloon, at dawn.



Home: PoetryExplorer.net