Synkroniciti is excited to welcome poet Michael C. Smith of California with “Night Flight,” an intriguing poem exploring one of the most enduring dreams, unassisted human flight. This dream is different than others the dreamer had in the past which were shame related and involved cops and parking lots. He’s flying high over the desert here, taking off from Phoenix, Arizona. “I passed others like myself over/ the Rockies, but I didn’t let myself/ think we were ghosts./ Such thoughts are a loss of altitude./ And yet I wondered where/ they were bound, whether/ such freedom ever has/ a destination.” Michael’s sense of humor and wonder make us think about the significance of our flying dreams and the ways our subconscious minds use this trope, from telegraphing embarrassment over our daily actions (warranted or not) to showing us the freedom and exhilaration of detached, unfettered Being. There is certainly room for interpretation.
Michael’s alliteration is gentle and freewheeling and his use of enjambment to pull us forward is delightful. We get a taste for flight ourselves.
Read “Night Flight” in Synkroniciti’s “Dreams” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Michael C. Smith’s work has appeared in several publications, including Iowa Review, Seneca Review, Northwest Review, Pembroke Review, Water-Stone Review, Phoebe, Blue Unicorn (forthcoming), Avalon Literary Review, Bicoastal Review (forthcoming), among others. He is a graduate of the MFA program from the University of Arizona and lives in Pomona, CA.