Okay, here's some doggerel...

[BSteinIPMS]

It's a measure of man to stick to a plan
to reach for what's followed by few.
And he who attains the desire that remains
will unto his own self be true.

Oh, I've worked and I've toiled,
my hands have been soiled,
and often I've watched from the ground.
The beauty I saw in a wing over all...
Are the dreams of a mortal unsound?

As I went through my prime and bided my time
I listened and gathered my lore.
I foresaw a day when flight came my way
and made up the pain gone before.

Now I've soared and I've spun, I've laughed and had fun.
I've flung out my spirit on high.
And time without number I've bathed in rapt wonder
at the glory that's there in the sky.

Oh, the brilliance of clouds, the moonlight enshrouds
all the turmoil that lurks down below.
For the grace of a plane brings peace home again,
the airman gives thanks it is so.

It's a measure of man to stick to a plan
to reach for what's followed by few.
And he who attains the desire that remains
will unto his own self be true.

--CW2RNS, MOI Flt. III
Ft. Wolters, Texas, 1969