I want to come back as a gannet

A beautiful week here in the Mahurangi, with sunshine heralding the arrival of spring. Took a walk down the Whangateau harbour, the gannets were diving and soaring, coming in close to me, not bothered by my presence. Like they were saying "hey, I'm a mighty gannet, what do I care about you?".  And I felt this to be inspirational, gives life to my soul watching them. Last week also I lost a friend to cancer and this poem was read at his funeral. I saw those gannets with this sonnet knocking on my frontal lobe, it just seemed like serendipity.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

            

                                                                       John Magee