“Ten minutes”
“Stand up”
“Hook up”
The plane sways
soldiers shuffle feet clumsily
Line of camouflage
uniform
like plastic men on a plastic plane
“Check equipment”
“Second to the last man check the last man’s equipment”
“Sound off for equipment check”
“Okay”
“Okay”
“Okay” ...
Hands slam into the backsides of the man ahead
“All okay jumpmaster”
Tired legs and eyes shift wearily
tumultuous stomachs turn
the stars wait outside to reflect off the silk chutes
A hand forces an index finger into the air
the first man turns to the next in line ...
“one minute” and so on ...
The jumpmaster’s thumb and index finger
take the shape of an alligator
Thirty seconds is passed back
Hearts drumming
thumping with the rhythm of the planes engines
The jumpmaster hangs out of the plane
as a spider clings to a wall
the safety takes the first mans line
the light is still red
only seconds away from green
then it is only air and God
“Green light go”
The plane is gone
along with its hum
The world takes an underwater silence
Beauty swallows everything
though fleeting
the ground will soon interrupt this love affair
as the sky is dotted with parachutes
tiny men falling to an enormous world