Charles Lindbergh | One Man, One Plane
- Greg McNeilly
- May 20
- 2 min read
Charles Lindbergh embarked upon his famous transatlantic solo voyage on this date (May 20) in 1927. This verse celebrating him is from Red, White & Blue.
One Man, One Plane
In the nascent days when gravity yet held us bound,
Came a clarion call, a yearning for the ethereal sound
Of propellers twirling in the high blue yonder,
The land below shrinking in fear and wonder.
An upstart nation, our eyes turned to the skies,
Fierce energy of frontier spirit, refusing to compromise.
Our wilds tamed, we looked beyond terrestrial sphere,
Where forests whisper secrets, we sought the stratosphere.
From Roosevelt Field, a daring dream took flight,
Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, a beacon burning bright.
One man, one plane, one ocean’s yawning face,
From the New World’s heart to the Old World’s embrace.
Across three thousand miles, where the winds of fate have blown,
In solitude’s firm grasp, in a cockpit, he sat alone,
The hum of a single engine, his solitary hymn,
Above the rolling waves, on a vast Atlantic brim.
Guided by the stars and a dream within his grasp,
In the face of the unknown, he held the world in clasp.
Through the weary night, through the lull of lonely day,
The echo of the engine’s hum, his only companion on the way.
Rising above the clouds, on wings of steel and dream,
Man and machine, a unity unseen.
Landfall met with joy, Le Bourget Field in sight,
A solitary journey ended in the Parisian night.
No sea too wide, no journey too great,
In the face of the impossible, progress would not wait.
In one swift stroke, he changed the course of history,
An emblem of America’s flight into mystery.
Lindbergh, hero of the skies, who dared the Atlantic’s breadth,
Your journey, a symbol of resilience, courage, and depth,
You charted a path for the future, your legacy, our guide,
Inspiring generations to seek the untried.
