Dan Gallagher

Mapping the Sky

Sometimes I feel like I’m flying over Alaska
And can’t see anything
Or I’m a moose shot in the snow
Too deep for transport
My relatives seemed to serve
On military bases in Alaska, anonymously
Without talking about it
Not even with each other
Nothing top secret
Just the quiet which must
Settle on soldiers when it’s winter
My grandfather was like a co-pilot

Who watches the storm pass under us
And says nothing about it
Seems like the sky’s the limit in Alaska
And bald eagles walk around downtown
Waiting for dinner