Flying Lesson: Clouds
Focus on the shapes: cirrus, a curl,
stratus, a layer, cumulus, a heap.
Humilis, a small cloud,
cumulus humilis, a fine day to fly.
Incus, the anvil, stay grounded.
Nimbus, rain, be careful,
don’t take off near nimbostratus,
a shapeless layer
of rain, hail, ice, or snow.
Ice weighs on the blades
of your propeller, weighs
on the entering edge
of your wings. Read a cloud,
decode it, a dense, chilly mass
can shift, flood with light.
Watch for clouds closing under you:
the sky opens in a breath,
shuts in a heartbeat.
Dolores Hayden
Poem and photograph (The-clouds-in-a-race-across-the-sky-over-Eagle-Idaho-US.-©-Suzan-Bunting) from the website of the Cloud Appreciation Society, which features many photos of clouds sent in by members.
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