Chase the wind

Chase the Wind

The experience of H.A.L.O.

Different each time

But,

When done

Seven Miles High

At the break of dawn

There is nothing to compare.

As you ride the metal chariot

to that altitude

you question the veracity of

your decision,

but your resolve

is set.

You sit in your assigned spot

you feel the vibration of the engines,

they carry you to an unknown fate

as your aircraft gains in speed and altitude

rushing headlong into the ever-lightening void

where the velvety soul of the retreating night

surrenders to the paling edge

of the dawning of a new day.

Into the reverie of your thoughts

the blare of the klaxon jerks you back.

Back to the reality of what you are going to do.

The final gear check

Stand at the ready

The ramp lowers

then stops.

You look into the maw of Eternity

a blackness that beckons,

with the winking of

unevenly spaced

specks of light.

Entreating you to join them

in the forever void of nothingness

You feel the suction of the night wind

pulling you towards

the precipitous

First Step

You hear the roar of the

unseen monster

taunting you!

challenging you!

to leap into the maw of the

unknown that awaits.

The muscles in your back and legs

begin to contract,

you feel the tension build throughout

your body that is,

SCREAMING

for the release

of action

Your hands shake

your throat is dry

you are poised on

RAZOR'S EDGE

The Jump Master finally signals

you cannot hear the words

but you know them

' Go- Go- Go'

In a burst of furious energy

you accelerate towards the end of the ramp!

At ramps end

YOU DIVE!

INTO ETERNITY!

in full abandon of common sense

You are now in a different reality

the rules that govern normal human behavior

no longer exist.

The world now consists of you

and the rest of your life

A new sense of freedom previously

inexperienced

commands your thoughts and senses,

you perceive your surroundings with

a clarity undefined by limitations.

You are truly

Chasing the wind

At 35,750 feet

there is no sense of falling

nor of the cold.

You turn toward the dawn

and fly

to greet the sun.

You aim for a bank of clouds,

your arms fold back toward your sides

You attain

Maximum Velocity!!!

You are the speeding bullet!

You want to scream for pure joy

but the wind rips the sound from your mouth

before it can be uttered.

You punch a hole through the clouds

roll to your back

and watch the tendrils of white fleece

as they provide the testimony

of where you have passed.

As you exit the bank of clouds

Mother Earth again makes her presence known

beckoning you back to the other reality.

Without knowing how or when,

you sense a loud pop,

half of a heartbeat later

you feel a massive jerk

throughout your body.

When you look up you see

the canopy deployed

You should feel elated

you have completed another jump....

But the truth is;

you feel cheated

Because now

you must walk

with the other humans.

Until again

You can

Chase The Wind