Death Plunge

We knew that the plane was going to crash,

We plunged through the air, on high,

We probably had five minutes to grieve

A minute to say goodbye,

She clung to me from her window seat

And cried, ‘It’s starting to fray.’

And through the port I could see the wing

As it tore, and twisted away.

‘Why did you make me take this flight?’

She cried, as the others screamed,

‘I could have been happily safe at home

If not for your stupid dream.’

She meant the holiday we had planned

Forever, to take in Rome,

The Coliseum, it still would stand

When they ferried our bodies home.

I felt quite peeved, for I didn’t want

To take in those ancient piles,

But she’d insisted that Rome it was,

I wanted the Grecian Isles.

This wasn’t the time for an argument

So I patted her crying cheek,

I needed to hear her ‘I love you’,

But that would have taken a week.

The plane was spinning, with just one wing

Was heading nose down to the ground,

And all the passengers screamed and cursed,

Stood up, were lurching around.

‘Just get me my bag from the overhead,

It holds all our holiday cash,’

It didn’t dawn on her she’d be dead,

To mention it would have been rash.

‘At least we’re together, Cheryl my love,’

I said, in calming her down.

We’d passed right through the cumulus cloud

So close we were to the ground.

The engine was screaming, the one we had

The emergency door flew wide,

And suddenly Cheryl was torn from her seat,

Sucked out of the aircraft, and died.

I sat in the blast from the open door,

My heart had stopped in my chest,

I cried, ‘My God! Just let it be quick,

My lover has gone to her rest.’

‘What lover’s that?’ said my Cheryl’s voice,

From the foot of our bed, at home.

‘You mean we’re saved, that we have a choice?

There’s no way we’re going to Rome!’

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[A Soap Mess Stories]

I bet he's wondering if he should have fought harder for the other destination?

[D Connolly]

After a vision like that, I would stay home too!

[Coyote Poetry]

I did like this ending.
‘You mean we’re saved, that we have a choice?
There’s no way we’re going to Rome!’
I would stay home too. Thank you my friend for sharing the amazing story.
Coyote

[jacob erin-cilberto]

oh my...yes, as Valentine said...a sneaky way...and same with the poem...love the surprise ending...

so did they wake up still arguing? that is the question.
j.

[Tate Morgan]

How Apropo my daughter was just in Rome only to fly home days before an earthquake

[Valentine]

What a sneaky way for a man to get his own way! So it is off to Greece instead I guess. I was waiting for the crash, you tricked me with the ending. Valentine

[Avinash]

Some dreams/nightmares should better remain there itself. This kept us at the edge of the seat.