Magnificent Beasts
Dawn — The High Priests of the Pacific
The Whistling Death,
the Hellcat’s iron will,
the Wildcat’s first defiance,
the Avenger’s laden wings,
the Dauntless in its final dive—
They bore the ocean’s altar on their shoulders,
their rites written in fire,
in blood,
in salt spray.
Their eyes the first to witness the rituals,
their hands the ones that shaped them.
Zenith — The Cold War Crusaders
The Panther’s howl,
the Last Gunfighter,
the Thunder‑forged Phantom,
the Tomcat’s huntress grace—
They swore their vigil at the carrier’s altar,
their duels etched in contrails,
in prophecy.
They were watchers of an age
balanced on the edge of Armageddon.
Dusk — The Twilight Keepers of the Altar
The Hornet — lean sentinel of dusk.
The Super Hornet — steadfast flamekeeper.
Last priests of the old rituals,
carrying the rites to their quiet end:
into shadow and swarm,
into networks and etched nerves.
Coda
Her brief blaze,
in the Tomcat’s enduring shadow,
a borrowed fire on silver,
before the altar dimmed
to thought without flesh.