The Climb and Descent of AeroMarti

A small tethered blimp

flew high in the air.
An aviators chart, a small red circle,
no one could fly in there.

The blimp gave way to a plane.
The powers that be chose me,
to fly and manage this plane.
To broadcast radio and T.V.

The craft was one of a kind.
It was known as AeroMarti.
A year in the planning and building.
To be based in the Florida Keys.

A boondoggle! Cuba's got snow!
A waste of money! TV no one could see!
Said all the critics from all the papers,
of our goal to set Cuba free.

We flew a charted route,
from the Marquesas to Marathon.
Most nights were stress free.
Others just seemed to drag on.

We could see cars on the Malacon.
The boats in Havana Harbor.
The long span bridges of Matanzas.
Storms kept us from seeing much farther.

Fidel tried to jam us.
Trying to silence the dissent.
We gave the dissenters hope.
Millions of dollars were spent.

After 7 years in the air,
and two thousand missions flown.
AeroMarti had run its course,
it's last mission was bringing it home.

In storage, it sat for 7 months.
In a hangar deep down in Georgia.
Was finally dismantled and scrapped,
as critics and cynics yelled... I told ya!

It's story cleansed from the press.
It's impact will never be known.
Cubans who were crying for freedom.
Have been left desolate and alone.

I still have the flag that was carried,
on its last mission to set Cuba free.
Maybe one day, the story can be told,
of the broadcasting plane, known as AeroMarti.