Inspiration I (For Lawnchair Larry)

The lawnchair pulled at the tethers
Holding it in place
As he sat down
Into it’s gentle movement.

This day had been on his mind
Since he was 13.

He packed only the necessities...

Aviator glasses
Sandwiches
A parachute
Pistol
CB Radio
And a six-pack of cold PBR’s.

He looked up
At 45 eight-foot weather balloons
Framed by the slate blue of sky
And strapped himself in.

It was now or never
Two days before Independence Day 1982.

He turned to his friends and nodded.
Giving them the signal
To cut him loose
From the bumper
Of his Jeep.

His stomach jumped
While he tried to stay balanced
As he was quickly pulled into the air
Rapidly rising
Shot up like an elevator
To a height of about 16,000 feet.

Approximately 3 miles
Above the Earth.

He felt light and tingly
Free and exhilarated.

He looked around him
Taking in the views
Of the concrete of Long Beach
And the green of the Pacific ocean water beyond.

LA was continuous all around him.

It was chilly.

He chewed a sandwich
And enjoyed an afternoon beer buzz.

He felt surprisingly calm.

He moved his dangling feet
Back and forth
Like he was a child on a swing set
As he entered the controlled airspace
Of the LAX.

A TWA pilot first spotted him upon his approach.

He radioed the tower and described
A man in a lawnchair
Wearing aviator glasses
Eating sandwiches
And holding a gun!

Radar confirmed the existence
Of an object floating 16,000 feet
Above the airport.

Air traffic
Was delayed.

About two hours had passed
And he was numb
From the altitude.

He began shooting out some of the balloons.

His descent was slow...

Especially when the pellet gun
Slipped out of his grasp
Falling over the side of grooved aluminum
To the Earth below.

Surely it was the fifth beer
That had something to do with it
He thought.

He did not control his descent as well as he had wanted to
And ended up with his balloons
Tangled up in some power lines
Leaving him hanging
5 feet above the ground
Causing a black-out
In the city of Long Beach
For about 20 minutes
Or more.

Not exactly eloquent or professional or trained
Because it wasn't.

Yet...

He
Like a celebrity
Climbed down to safety
Into the waiting arms of the
Long Beach Police
And FAA.

Even so
The descent wasn’t as cool as the lift off.

When asked why he did it
He answered
“A man can’t just sit around and look pretty”.

The FAA was not amused
And settled for a $1,500 fine.

Larry was right
When he stated:

"If the FAA was around when the Wright Brothers were testing their aircraft, they would
never have been able to make their first flight at Kitty Hawk."

“Where’s the love?”
He asked.

He emitted a small burp
Tasting
The ham and cheese of a sandwich
And the light
Fizzy
Hoppiness
Of five
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Beers.