Flight Plan Poem by Bill Upton

It happens to us all.
The subtlety of the change
Can occur within the blink of an eye.
One perfect sun drenched, blue sky summer day
I realized my suspicions were wrong.
Until now, I thought the turn of the new calendar year
Simply meant business as usual, plus one.
Auld Lang Syne ends at midnight without fanfare.
New year, January 2-back to work, back to the gym,
Back to 'as it was'.
Life rebounds on its own,
No heavier lifting, no bigger deal.
Until I looked down to see the 'S' coming unstitched on my chest.
It was peeling off, and I couldn't salvage the original art.
Was this the moment for the man and the hour to finally meet?
How long it has taken for me to digest
That I could no longer leap tall buildings.
This time when I looked in the mirror
Only Clark Kent looked back.
It seems, finally, the flight plan has changed.

But the Man of Steel is still alive out there.
Somewhere...
Somehow.