Better Pilot Than I

Setting the runway aflame
I surge into the night,
Sonic boom splitting ears
I am a metaphor for speed
Dawn fractures along my wings,
As my thrust amplifies.
No better pilot than I.

It's a gut-wrenching climb
G-forces twisting spine
I rise, as the altimeter groans.
The earth’s shrinks fast,
its pull dying beneath me
My mission takes me high.
No better pilot than I.

Locking grids and fields,
In predatory swoops, I fire.
Bombing the daylights out of them.
I’m a metaphor for death.
Faceless, my shadow petrifies.
No better pilot than I.

Patrolling the heaven's
darkest alleys and lanes,
I carve out corridors,
Etch my contrails
on the firmament’s inky face
I’m a metaphor for God.
His sovereign realms I occupy
Who a better pilot than I?

He appears from nowhere,
a blip, a craft on my silent radar.
An entity unknown,
not fleeing or fading.
The abyss, a footstool for him,
he holds position, whirring close by.
Is it a pilot such as I?

Maneuvering for battle
I tear through space
The wind almost ripping my wings.
I loop, flip, roll, dive,
into an angle of attack.
But he does not bite the bait
Dead-still in a vortex's eye
Is this not a pilot such as I?

A metaphor for combat
I fire at last, my bullets
as fireflies rain and ricochet
right off his umbral back.
Then his guns flare
and night flashes clear as day.
My cockpit brightens
before the final blast, I cry
He is a better pilot than I.

Mayday. Mayday.
Altitude deserts me.
The sky coldly ejects me,
no more my ally.
I plunge through a stunned,
spellbound space,
A ragged metaphor for defeat.
The stars twinkle and die.
There is a better pilot than I.

Author's Note

A fact.

Reviews

[Davidgeo]

Are you a fan of 21 Pilots by any chance? When I get stressed out, I listen to Stressed Out sometimes. It's good. By your writing I think you might like that song.

[BuzzyB]

I'll look that up for sure. Thank you Davidgeo.

[Curly Grace]

A vivid, high-energy piece that shifts from confidence to humility with real force. The metaphors build sharply, and the final reversal lands cleanly.

[BuzzyB]

Thank you, Curly Grace. Your review means a lot to me.

[Curly Grace]

You're welcome, buzzyB

[John the Baptist]

I wonder if Von Richthofen had thoughts such as these.

[BuzzyB]

Thank you for reading, John.

[Thomas W Case]

This soars and crashes with equal ferocity—gritty in its ambition, warm in its awe of mastery beyond reach.
It’s a confession in motion, letting pride and humility collide across the sky.

[BuzzyB]

Thank you Thomas, your review means a lot to me.

[Tania Mo]

Hey. I like the high drama and the way he dies is grand. Nice piece of writng girl.

[BuzzyB]

Thank you very much for the kind words Tania.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Wow, what an allegory here...like a triplet.
I see a pilot flying a plane during the war and being out piloted...
But I also see human flying high in life and then dipping to new lows, almost crashing and then rallying
through the darkest alleys...This bird flies the darkest alleys up in the sky as well...just trying to slow down and enjoy the view.
j.

[BuzzyB]

Thank you Jacob. Your review means a lot to me.

[AJNJ]

Ms. Buzzy this is a fantastic attempt. The mood is dizzy and the message is Bang On. Bravo!

[BuzzyB]

Thank you AJ. I thought its a bit long.