Gaikokujin , One of Six

We met at a party
I went as a dog
typing at a keyboard
She
A French Maid
Whose beauty rivalled Bettie Page

Seeing a beautiful woman
Causes your chest to tighten
It becomes hard to breathe
We choke upon our words
Our heart races
Vision blurs
But given the chance I happily talk to her
And it feels like flying across the ocean
Smooth seas do not make for strong sailor
A faint heart never won a fair maiden

I do not understand
why a beautiful woman
Stays before your eyes for so long
Even after you close them

Only to find her image to return
I suspect
In the war between the sexes
Women like Gaikokujin
Hold all the ammunition
Emblazoned on the side of airplanes
that return home
for no reason at all
Missing a wing
or an engine
Coming in for a landing
In a shower of sparks
completing their mission
And making it home alive
to our wives
and children
six miles high
I fought for every breath
clinging to life
returning to earth
and touched her picture
when they pulled me free
from the crash
Another plane will come
We will paint her on the nosecone
And she will fly
No matter how far
Whatever danger
Because of women like you
We will be safe again
We will come home