Ace joint poem collaboration extract... something very special...

extract from The Ace series of poems by Nick Armbrister and Shy Lhen Esposo, to be released in 2016 in Aeroplane Poems 3. watch this space...

this is something special...

Ace: Sky Knife
'I love you so very much. But now I must go. To Russia. I promise to come home soon...'

Otto dreamed...
You're not here!
Where are you my love?
A sky, my sky, black as sack cloth.
Out of that sky five Rata planes fly forth.
I see their 2 centimetre guns fire.

Love! Where are you?
I fire back.
Hit two.
Quick, climb!

Blackness envelops me.
Winking guns and flashing tracers pave my way.
I accept.
Did I hit a third?

Damn.
They winged me.
My engine is kaput.
Silence.

Love!
Save me.
Darkness surrounds me.
I fall to earth.
Soviet earth.

Otto screamed.
Woken from his nightmare.
A knock on his door.

A mission Sir.
There's a new mission.
You're to lead it.

My love.
Come to me...

Otto wrote to his girlfriend.
I've never fought as hard.
Four sorties a day.
Sometimes six.
I killed a dozen Soviets.
It was easy.
My friend died.

His love wrote back.
Be careful my love and always stay safe.
Come home soon to me.
I love you beyond words.

Fate is cruel.
I fly for you my love.
And always will.
Your name is on my plane's nose.

My warplane was hit.
I can only fly one way.
My fuel will run out.
If I'm not shot down.

But my dear, please understand.
I also love another.
Please understand.
When I crash or am shot down,
she will tell you my fate.

Please don't fight her.
Love her as your sister.
You both love me.
As I do you.

I cannot help what happened.
She's Russian.
I shot down her husband.
He flew an I-153 Chaika biplane.
Fought like a demon.

She understands and knows of you.
She will tell you of my fate.
I love you my dear lady.
Everything is wrong except love.
Remember me and always love me.
Your son saved my life.

Nick Armbrister

by Shy Lhen Esposo

As my tears flow down,
of what I have received from you,
I feel like I'm in war too....
War and love is what we have...
My Love,
as I promised to you
when the time comes
for us to part,
you will be forever my love.
Though it's hard for me
to comprise of what
you are asking,
there's nothing I can do but
to accept what you went through.

I, waited for days,
long hours but
never heard anything from you ...
And as what of your last message..
My heart melted like
butter of what I found out....
A Lady came
across the miles
to meet me....
"I'm so sorry, Shy,"
They're both in tears
and hug each other...
I come to inform you Sky,
Otto is in a danger situation
we all need to pray
for him and never
lose hope
that he will
be home safe too soon....

But she never heard from Otto
since then.
Shy travelled to Russia to find
Ace, Otto's other woman
and from there, they met once again.
Ace treated Shy very well and
as a guest, she played her rules
as Otto's will.

"Ah Shy, I want you to show around
and please do feel at home,
for you are family too.''
And enjoy the atmosphere while
we're waiting for Otto."
Beyond those smiles, Shy felt
something strange to Ace...
though she smiled back with anxious feelings.

Suddenly, a young man
came and handed Shy
a bunch of white roses...
She couldn't express herself.
Shy looked around and
no one's there.
Ace went back
inside the house to take the
snacks that she prepared earlier.

"Ace, Otto is alive!" he is alive"! Shy was in tears while carrying the
bouquet of roses and showed them to Ace.
Ace couldn't believe of what she heard from Shy, till she didn't
notice, the cup of coffee slip away from her hand.

"Ace, are okay"? Shy asked.
She stood up where she's sitting and helped Ace clean up the
coffee and broken cup
on the floor.

Ace, was in tears and shivering
she couldn't control herself from quivering...
And, Otto, was at the gateway, accompanied by soldiers and
they seem ready to attack Ace's place.
Shy had been speechless where she was standing, she couldn't
believe what her eyes saw.

Otto: "Arrest her!!!
Otto commanded
the soldiers
while pointing to Ace,
who was now in tears
and begging Otto
about what she
had done behind
Otto's back,
and she planned to
kill Shy too.
Otto become deaf from to Ace's begging.

Shy ran through, in tears, to where Otto's stood as they both missed
each other, they did not care anymore who are they with.

"Shhh! Stop crying my love, war is over and I'm here alive.
Otto placed his finger to Shy's lips and his other hand,
wiping away her tears.
"I miss so much my love,"
Otto whispered to Shy...
"Let's go home and start
our new life
with love and peace"...

...End...

Shy Lhen Esposo ©150216