High Flight, by John Gillespie Magee

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

 And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

 Sunwards I’ve climbed and joined the tumbling mirth

 Of sun-split clouds – and done a thousand things

 You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung 

 High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,

 I’ve chased the shouting wind along and flung

 My eager craft through footless halls of air,

 Up, up the long delirious burning blue

 I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,

 Where never lark, or even eagle, flew;

 And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

 The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

 Put out my hand, and touched the face of god.

MROP 2013 is over

31 men were initiated into manhood at the Bield, near Perth in Scotland last week. It was an extraordinary privilege to be on the holding team for this massively stretching event. It takes courage to turn up and stay the course, and being alongside the men on this very special journey was, in many ways, like doing the rites all over again.

Next year's event is already in the diary for 23-27 July 2014 at the Bield again. Find us on the Facebook page (Men's Rites of Passage) or at http://www.mrop.org.uk.