Don't look up

Gold cherry

By D G Moody

Sun, 27 Apr 2025
  • 1013 reads
21 comments
 

High above, in the sky                                                                                                 
A Spitfire cleaves the air                                                                                             
In parabolic ecstasy,                                                                                                  
While here below                                                                                                      
In the bus shelter                                                                                                        
It is not seen,                                                                                                          
Instead they stand                                                                                                
In rank looking down                                                                                             
At their screens.

What is so important,                                                                                             
What is so urgent,                                                                                                      
That they could exclude                                                                                                    
This simple scene                                                                                              
Of what is above them,                                                                                           
What is here now and real.                                                                                        
They don’t look up                                                                                                 
While high above                                                                                                         
The Spitfire does its reels.   

D G Moody 2025

 

Certificate U
Poem
Philosophy
Rant
Philosophy
Opinion

Comments

Submitted by D G Moody on

I've done a slight tweak on the second stanza; I think it improves it.

Dougie Moody

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

You make a valid point Dougie, I know exactly what you mean,, seems to me that people miss so much of their surroundings while staring at screens. I've even seen people chatting to friends while they're fiddling with their phones, I just don't get it.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

Thanks Jenny. We sometimes walk past what used to be our village train station, but is now our stop on the guided bus into Cambridge. And we do see the line of students and commuters all looking down at their phones, some with ear pieces. We also see regular Spitfires exercising overhead, so it was easy to combine the two. 

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

it's headphones too. You can't hear the birds with headphones in - or spitfires to be fair. I enjoyed this cri de coeur Dougie - well deserved cherries

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

Thanks Claudine, especially for the cherries, much appreciated. Funnily enough the poem just happened while I was still working on some revisions. And one of my bete noir's is the slavery to our smart phones. Though, I have to confess I do have a bird call app on mine - physician cure thyself!

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Ooh! I wonder if it's the same one I dowloaded a couple of weeks ago. Merlin ID? I absolutely love it!

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

The one I've got is called BirdUp, and to be honest it came from my wife's phone when I synced a new one I got, after our new dog chomped my old phone.

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Nicely put scene to make a good point.

Such a pull, miss out on beauty around, miss out on events as you describe, miss out on communication with friends and, especially, children, and drawn into so much that engulfs and pressurises like peer pressure. Fear of losing out, too, I suppose. As they used to say about the television, 'Just press the "off" button for awhile'! Rhiannon

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

Well said Rhiannon. The thing that gets me is how folk feel that they need to respond immediately to any input on their smartphones. And we even see parents pushing prams while doing their social 'meja'. On top of that we see children now who can't socialise properly due to the lack of human input - parents.

Dougie Moody

Submitted by marandina on

Apt and timely with the 80th Anniversary of VE day due soon. Well said and nicely done, Dougie.

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

Thanks Paul, and yes it is timely. We should be seeing a lot of vintage planes coming past on the 8th, we are on the direct path for the Battle of Britain flight. My favourite is the Hurricane IMHO a better plane than the earlier Spits.

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

This very timely poem is our social media Pick of the Day!

Please share if you enjoyed it too, and remember to always look up

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

Wow! I'm genuinly chuffed at the compliment, and my cherries have now turned golden! Thanks again Claudine. 

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Nolan on

Spitfire

Must be the most succesful fighter plane ever, I have a whole documentary dvd just on the Spitfire.

A work of art & Nolan

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

Thanks Nolan. On the best fighter plane, we could enjoy a lively discussion over a good pint. One contender is the Mustang, as it married the Merlin engine with good endurance. One of the (few) limitations with the Spitfire was its short endurance, being designed for air superiority over England.

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Nolan on

Your finest hour & Nolan

 

 

Submitted by D G Moody on

We saw the Lancaster pass overhead yesterday on its way to the fly-past; I waited and waited to catch it coming back but it must have taken a diferent route.

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Frances Macaula... on

This resonated very well with me - both the idea and the Spitfire.  However, I must confess to being most impressed by the Lancaster - that throbbing of engines as the large shadow engulfs those below...  That sound reminds me of watching numerous WW11 films with my father who did 2 tours (60+ missions) as a Pathfinder and Master Bomber awarded a DFC by the King.  I thank you, Dougie, for resurecting that beautiful memory.

P.S. Congratulations of the accolades, as well.

Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/search?q=FrancesMF

Submitted by D G Moody on

Thank you Francis, and yes, the mighty roar of four Merlins cannot be surpassed; as I said we are fortunate in that if the Lanc is flying south, even to Duxford, it will pass overhead and that roar sometimes alerts us, even if only to catch it passing into the distance. 

Dougie Moody

Submitted by Jessiibear on

This really made me pause.

It’s such a sharp, poetic reflection of how the world is right now — how often we’re caught staring at screens while life, real life, happens around us.

Funny timing, too: just the other day, my son was watching a YouTube video comparing early Bluey episodes, and it mentioned scenes that were cut — like one where the dad is pushing Bluey on a swing while staring at his phone. They cut it for messaging reasons, but it still says so much about the world we live in.

And I saw this other clip of a Sabrina Carpenter concert — literally every person in the crowd had their phones up, filming. Nobody just watching, just being there.

Your poem really tapped into that same feeling. That ache of what we miss when we forget to look up. Beautifully written, and the cherry pick was so deserved.

Jess

Submitted by D G Moody on

Thank you Jess, your refections are totally in accord with what I intended; not that I discount the value of my smartphone, but I keep it as a tool and not as my master. I find it odd, how folk must respond immediately to any incoming social 'meja'. A good plot for a Dr Who - humans taken over via their smartphones! 

Dougie

Dougie Moody