Two nights ago I went to a function for my son. Over the course of an hour, I had five different people ask me the age-old, Pilot Wife question, “Soooooo, where is your husband right now?” To which, of course, I dutifully replied, “Uh… I don’t know?”
When I got home that evening, I decided to pen a poem about the subject. I shared it on my [new] YouTube channel (you can find the link for the poem reading at the bottom of this blog – but don’t make fun of my hair!), but for those of you who prefer the written word over the vlog format, here is my ode to not knowing where he is!
I hope you enjoy!
Where in the World is Your Husband?
Wherever I go, the question is near,
Ten times per day, these words I must hear.
“Your husband,” they utter without a delay,
“Where in the world is he today?”
With a shrug of my shoulders, I admit I don’t know,
And I can see their non-aviation minds did I blow.
This life, well, it’s sometimes hard to understand,
But I’ll try to answer the question as best as I can.
You see, my husband is neither here nor there.
He’s 35,000 feet up in the air!
No mile markers or landmarks to denote his progress,
Just the endless horizons and stunning sunsets.
Like a migratory bird doth his journey entail,
Marked only by the fading of his wispy contrails.
At the speed of an arrow does he soar through the skies.
By the time I told you his whereabouts, it would already be lies.
He may get where he’s going, or diverted could he be
By bad weather, or maintenance, or a PAX who is rowdy.
I know where he’s not, here home in my bed.
And I know where he at night rests his head.
On the calendar I have marked his return date to me
But even of that, there’s no guarantee.
His schedule is as fluid as a bottle of wine,
But I joyfully adapt, because that pilot is mine!
So where is my husband? Why, right here in my prayers and my heart!
No matter the distance, our love it can’t part.
A dot on a map has no bearing or say.
We’re always together, no matter where he is today.
So don’t fret when I shrug, that our marriage is frail.
You can’t possibly understand what this life does entail.
It requires trust and strength and guidance from above.
But I assure you, we share the fiercest of loves.
Next time you ask, I will still have no clue.
If you only understood how many places daily he flew.
Perhaps London or Texas, over water or land.
But it’s not the ‘where’ that matters to me, but the heart of my man.
~Angelia J. Griffin
#thepilotwifelife
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I love it! “He is neither here or there”! I tried for a little while to know where all he was going but gave up after a couple weeks. When are you leaving and when do I need to make you dinner? That’s all I want to know unless he’s in Mexico and I’m here freezing.
I just read your poem, and I’m crying !!! This just hits me right in the heart.
Thank you, dear Angelia, for the strong torch that you carry. For the strong voice that you speak. And for the light and love that you Live. Your pilot is One Lucky Fly Dude to have a gal like you at the helm of the family mini-van while he is awing :)) :)) :))
My Dad was a private pilot and studio musician. By day, he played on all the TV shows and films at Fox Studios (including the original Batman TV show, South Pacific, King and I). By night, Band Leader at Disneyland — hired by Walt, Dad’s Swing Band played at the end of Main Street until just after Walt Disney died. We kids grew up on Trancas Beach, Malibu. Because of Dad’s work schedule, we barely saw him as kids. It was our AWESOME Mom who glued it all together. She was Love. Grit. Superhuman.
You remind me of her. All us kids turned out great. Successful. Kooky. STRONG. The gift YOU give your family is beyond description. Go, girl, Go!!! :)) Dawn
https://journalofdawn.wordpress.com/20150325family-of-flying/
It’s nice to know I rarely know where my husband is as well, and I get the question often. Usually when I say I don’t know, they wonder if I care about my husband LOL but we do share the fiercest of love as you have so eloquently put it!