Fright Flight
Captain, land the plane now.
I would, yet I don't know how.
I am sitting here and all alone,
beside a chap on his cell phone.
My final destination's home.
Captain, land it soon I say,
I want to be at home today.
I've never been in flight before,
but this I shall do no more.
The man across the aisle merely snores,
but his conversation was a bore.
Captain, land, will you please?
Do it now! I do not tease!
This constant kick comes from behind.
Make it stop, or I'll lose my mind.
I cannot see the in-flight picture.
The lady sits in front of me,
sitting there just with glee,
wearing the hat of a boa-constrictor.
Captain, land the plane soon,
before my stomach makes me swoon.
Up and down we seem to sway.
I wish this feeling would go away.
All I see are clouds ahead.
Please, tell me I won't be dead.
Captain, will you land it for me?
Oh wait, what's that that I do see?
I see the town and cars below,
They all look like ants, you know.
A miniature train set all around,
and I think I see the ground!
Captain, thanks for landing this plane.
I think I will never be the same.
Home I go, soon enough,
but first I must face the terror,
the terror I know which is the bus.
This is a throwback poem from a previously published book. I’ll be posting throwbacks every Wednesday.
I wrote this poem in high school. It is completely fictional, and not at all autobiographical. I’d been on airplanes many times since I was a baby, traveling to Germany and back.
Abundant Sparks & Personal Archeology combines D.L. Lang's second and third ebooks into one paperback. This poetry collection offers poems spanning the silly to the spiritual. The poems were largely transcribed from notebooks by her husband and soul mate, Timothy Lang. There is a mix of poetry written in 2013 as well as older poems from the author's archives.
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About the Book
Preview on Google BooksLocal bookstores and libraries often provide venues for poets and local authors, and many of them have invited me to read over the years, so when possible, please shop local! Any bookstore should be able to special order it for you using the ISBN, so please utilize your local independent bookshop.Abundant Sparks & Personal Archeology combines D.L. Lang’s second and third ebooks into one paperback. This poetry collection offers poems spanning the silly to the spiritual. The poems were largely transcribed from notebooks by her husband and soul mate, Timothy Lang. There is a mix of poetry written in 2013 as well as older poems from the author’s archives.
Reviews of the Abundant Sparks ebook:This eclectic collection of about 70 poems from poet D.L. Lang embodies the spirit of American poetry–diverse and without rules. You probably don’t know D.L. Lang; I don’t know her either. Or do I? After reading this outstanding collection of original works, I feel that in a strong sense, I do. I believe you will too, and you’ll find your time reading Abundant Sparks joyfully well spent.” – J.A. Wallace
“I found this collection of poetry to be exceptional in its diversity and intensity. The selection of poems gives the reader an excellent feel for this budding star poet’s abilities in writing and observation. The book also shows that the poet has a good feel for her readers, in the order that the poetry was presented. Overall, the best book of poetry that I have read in quite some time.” – North Woods
“From deeply (and universally) personal to powerfully observant, Diana Lang is a brilliant poetess. The goosebumps of powerful distillations tune the reader at the book’s beginning with poetry that appears to be the author’s most recent verse. D.L. (Diana) Lang is a name to note and remember. Highly recommended reading.” – Julia Busch
“Lang’s facility with language never ceases to astonish me. And she does it again in this new collection. If you want an example, read the first poem, Penguin’s Prayer. A must read.” – Helen C. Page
Thank you to the judges at the 2015 Solano County Fair for awarding “Generation Awake!” with 2nd place in the Published Poetry category!
You can read this and other poems from this book by visiting the poetry blog.
Excerpt from the foreword:
These are two books that my husband, Tim, helped me compile when I couldn’t. I am grateful for his help. They were originally published as two separate eBooks in 2013.
Both sections of this text contain many poems from my archives that I wrote as a teenager in Enid, Oklahoma. Due to the uncertainty about my being able to continue writing at the time of compilation, my aim was to archive everything that I had written thus far, good or bad, polished or raw.
I wrote the newer selections of Abundant Sparks between October 2011 and May 2013 while I was still working and living in San Rafael.
The newer pieces in Personal Archeology, on the other hand, I created between May 2013 and November 2013 during a time of uncertainty and personal reflection. The title poem examines a handful of my famous relatives, as I am distantly related to the following historical figures: Karl Ludwig Sand, Azeline Hearne, Dicey Langston, Jack Reed.
Due to medical restrictions and a lack of inspiration following an injury that left me unable to type without severe pain, I ceased writing for the majority of 2014 until I attended my first open mic that December, which relit my inner poetic flame.
I delayed releasing this paperback until 2015, coinciding with the release of Look Ma! No Hands! when dictation software allowed me to write again. This version was re-edited by the author in 2017, primarily because punctuation is the bane of my existence, leaving previous editions with too many errors to be ignored, and my poetry formatting style has since changed to not capitalize first letters of every line.
2013 cover for Abundant Sparks2013 cover for Personal ArcheologyFull list of poems included in this volume:
Penguin’s Prayer
Mistranslations
The Snarkadelic Word Smith Awaits the Penguin Whisperer
Color Nature
Plowshares
Squared
Main Street Café
Misfortune Cookies
Victory
Planetary Heartburn
Suffering: Now Available In HD
Platitudes
You
Heavenly Earthly Bodies
Basherti
Despair Casts Its Ballot
Silver Winged Predators
Perpetually
Cardboard and Freedom
The Harder We Fall
Ghosts of History
The Wall Between Us
Fried
Shomer
Invisible Companions
Oh, My Dear Heart
I Cry Out
Floetry
Illusions Of Age
If It Bleeds, It Leads
Generation Awake!
Dawn
Remaining Reminders
Desires Of Destruction
Today
The Penguin Poet
Pillars
Poetitis
Clicking
Depression’s Delicious Dance
Midnight Morning
Transient Curse
Bulldog
Snuster
Guide
My Ghost
Against The Wind
All
Final Destination Unknown
Deux Faux Amies
The Fight…For Right
Friendship I
Fright Flight
Gossip
Happiness
Hard Times
How?
If You Knew, Tell Me
Lazy
Lost Friend Insanity
Silly Purple Chrome Poem
The Ranger
We All Shine On
Title of the Story
The Wish
Disasterpiece
The Words
Bootstraps
Substitutes
Maximum Simplicity
Poet’s Pride
Industrial Strength Strife
Pavement Studies, Ph.D.
Dictatered by MFN
Hashtag Penguinface
This Side Up
Diner of Death
Oblivious
Pain Street
Brother
Soul Dance
My Promise
Laborer’s Prayer
The Compromise
Wilderness
A Divine Anger
Enabler of Life
Rising Above The Pit
Geographic Freedom
Soul .
Dining With Your Skeleton
She Awoke In Heaven
Letting In The Light
Personal Archeology
21
Breaking Free
Too Many Deeds Misaligned Our Creeds
Realignment
Candles Rekindled
Sentimental Anachronisms
The Laundry Prophet
My Evil Twin
Bono Vince Malum
Witnessing The World
The Ladder
Mother’s Road
Crissy
Defeating Dumbfounded Diffidence
Time Is Relative To Love
Our Guardian, Our Leader
The Mandala
Rediscovery
Growth
Haight
Suburbia
Contentment
Eviction Of Humanity
High Priority Lows
The Dreamer
We Fell Asleep To Dream Anew
InfatuationHi! Enjoying what you’re reading? Please consider buying a book, or using the donation button on the sidebar. Poets aren’t always compensated for our performances and efforts, and doing so would help out greatly and ensure this website stays around for years to come. All of my gigs have been cancelled until further notice. Please stay safe everyone. If you would like to support me at this time, please consider buying one of my books from your favorite online retailer.
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About the Author
D.L. Lang
D.L. Lang is a contemporary American poet and spoken word artist. The author of over a dozen poetry books, Lang has been writing poetry for over 25 years. She has performed her poetry on stage hundreds of times at protest rallies, county fairs, literary festivals, open mics, poetry circles, bookstores, libraries, and live radio broadcasts.
From 2017 to 2019 she served as Vallejo, California's Poet Laureate. Her poems have been awarded with numerous county fair ribbons, transformed into songs, used as liturgy for prayer, and to advocate for peace, justice, and a better world.
The scribe of over 1,200 poems from haiku to free verse to masterful rhyme, covering a wide variety of topics, D.L. Lang has poetry that's sure to delight. Lang dabbles in both gritty realism and surrealistic wordplay, sorrowful elegy and uplifting affirmations. Her poetry is a mixture of topical political commentary, religious devotional meditations, and poetic autobiographical memoir. Her words take you on journeys deep into nature, memory, spirituality, and the whisperings of the heart.
She is the author of Tea & Sprockets, Abundant Sparks & Personal Archeology, Look Ma! No Hands!, Poet Loiterer, Id Biscuits, Barefoot in the Sanctuary, Armor Against The Dawn, Dragonfly Tomorrows & Dog-eared Yesterdays, Resting on My Laurels, The Cafe of Dreams, Midnight Strike, and This Festival of Dreams. She has also released a chapbook compilation entitled Wanderings, a Jewish poetry compilation entitled Paradise Collectors, and her debut spoken word album entitled Happy Accidents, and is the editor of Voices, Verses & Visions of Vallejo.
Her poetry has also been published in the Benicia Herald, Poets Are Heroes Magazine, ReformJudaism.org, Poetry Expressed, Frost Meadow Review, and the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. Her poetry has been anthologized in A Poet’s Siddur (Ain’t Got No Press, 2017), Light & Shadow (Benicia Literary Arts, 2018), Marin Poetry Center Anthology, Vol. 21 (2018), and Verses, Voices & Visions of Vallejo (2019).
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Hi! Enjoying what you’re reading? Please consider buying a book, or using the donation button on the sidebar. Poets aren’t always compensated for our performances and efforts, and doing so would help out greatly and ensure this website stays around for years to come. All of my gigs have been cancelled until further notice. Please stay safe everyone. If you would like to support me at this time, please consider buying one of my books from your favorite online retailer. No ratings yet.