My Brand New Pilot

You know the feeling
-Pit of your stomach butterflies-
When you take off in a plane?
You're in the open air, completely exposed
To everything terrible that could happen.
There may be screaming children, threats, Engine failure
All the bad experiences you've ever lived
Becoming more horribly applicable
As the plane ascends.
It always takes me time
To realize how little the turbulence
Really matters to the whole trip.
So, eventually, those butterflies fade,
And every reassuring thing you said
Starts to comfort me, and I realize
That through those minor adjustments
This pilot is different.
He flies me so much higher than I've ever been
And all is well.
Until the descent.