Aviation Mystery
This is a poem of everyday freight
of Flight 66 that was bound for Prince George
a steep wooded hillside, a wreck found by night.
Southeast of Crown Mountain strewn over a gorge
the cockpit and crew were found the next day
of Flight 66 that was bound for Prince George.
Plane dropped from the sky in a curious way
near engine nacelle space a small fire burned
the cockpit and crew were found the next day.
He combs through the wreck to see what can be learned
bits of cockpit and fuselage in amongst trees
near engine nacelle space a small fire burned.
Between snowy cedars in snow to his knees
activated transmitter whose signal is mute
bits of cockpit and fuselage in amongst trees.
No witness to tell of that day, on that route.
This is a poem of everyday freight
activated transmitter whose signal is mute
a steep wooded hillside, a wreck found by night.
© 2015 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)
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It’s been happening a lot lately—planes mysteriously disappearing from radar with the wreckage found later, mute and mystifying. One of those events (a cargo plane crash in the B.C. mountains on April 15, 2015) is the subject of this poem that I wrote during this April’s poem-a-day challenge. This Transportation Safety Board entry provided some of the poem’s details. The terzanelle form with its repeating lines seemed right to tell the story of this tragic mystery.
Since the original story, there’s been another development. Two weeks ago the autopsy of the pilot revealed that he had high levels of alcohol in his body. So sad…
This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Sylvia Vardell at Poetry For Children.
Violet Nesdoly 
Yes, these incidents are happening too frequently lately. Great poem, Violet!
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Thanks Jama. Yes, air accidents seem more common than ever. At least they found something here. That Malaysian flight missing since March of 2014 is still chilling, isn’t it.
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I feel that you wrote something like a newscast, Violet, stating the tragedy, with the voice on the edge of breaking down. Your tightness felt right, such a sad thing to hear about, but beautifully written.
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Thanks, Linda. This event didn’t affect me personally, but yet it did–as it does all of us when we hear of such tragic and unexplainable accidents. I guess in the back of one’s mind is the thought–that could have been me or someone I love…
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Hi, Violet, wow, this is gripping– and the details are so sad too. Thanks for sharing this moment (a tribute) and for joining our Poetry Friday gathering this week!
Sylvia
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Why thank you, Sylvia! And thank you for hosting this week and for all the Poetry Friday books you and others put out. You’re truly a Poetry Friday champion.
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The terzanelle form is so effective here! How do you choose what form to use when you sit down to write?
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Thanks Tabatha! I wrote this during the April poem-a-day challenge (April 16th). I was following several websites with prompts. One was NaPoWriMo. The challenge there on April 16th was to write a terzanelle. I think the sample poems on their site had me looking for a story-type subject. You can see the prompt (which also gives a good explanation of the terzanelle here: http://www.napowrimo.net/day-sixteen-2/
Other times I’ve written a poem several ways until I hit on a form that felt effective. I think having tried writing different forms gives one a sense of what might be best for a particular subject.
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First of all, Violet, I LOVE your photograph– it’s epic and gorgeous. Your poem is similarly grand, but in a different way– epic tale meets modern day journalism. I’m not sure I’m describing it very well, but I love what you did. And yes, I agree with Tabatha. The terzanelle is the perfect form.
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Thanks Michelle! The photo was taken on one of our flights over the mountains in the last year or two. Whenever I fly over mountains, get a window seat and it’s a clear day, just can’t resist pulling out the camera. I’m so glad you think the poem works.
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The photo drew me in, and the repeating lines of the terzanelle pulled me along through the mystery.
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