Poem of the weekThe fighter pilot
See the old man on the pavement there
With the white stick and the vacant stare.
A man in decline, a world-weary soul,
How eighty years plus have taken their toll.
But take sixty away and see how he flies,
High over the downs, climbing the skies.
Courage undoubted, steely-eyed, true,
Serving his country high up in the blue.
Heavenward soaring with cannons all blazing,
Quick-witted, alert, everywhere gazing.
Banks to the left, banks to the right,
Enemy squadron routed, in flight.
A pitiful figure, who could disagree
Yet one of the ‘few’ who saved you and me.
David Webb, Sompting.