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Fast Track Poem

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Saenger Bomber
Credit: MBB

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Eugen Saenger 1905-1964
Irene Bredt 1911-1983
David Urie 1932-

the visionary with a slide-rule named you: Silbervogel
the wind tunnel technicians joked: bügeleisen,
but you could never iron out the funding snags,
could never fly out of that wind tunnel into a playful sky.

since a physics teacher
chose a book prize for that 16-year old kid,
chose Auf Zwei Planeten,
three generations have taxied down this empty runway.

today's "the next chapter in our ride to new worlds"
David sketched on a sheet sheer geometry of power,
matched the engineers' epigram:
looks good, flies good.

Eugen & Irene's flatiron
crafted from materials born after their time:
hypersonic wave-rider with engines to pole-vault horizons
you open the throttle, toss back your head.

Silbervogel laughing at gravity,
streamed delta of wings & speed, you
stand on your shock wave, surf the skies
& slide onto the silver strands of orbits.

glossary:
Silbervogel (Ger) - Silver Bird
bügeleisen (Ger) - an iron
Auf Zwei Planeten - (Ger) On Two Planets; sci-fi novel

--Keith Gottschalk