Before you read this poem, I have announced that I am transitioning from male to female. My transition name is Jackie Leigh, I will still be going by Brian37/Brian James Rational Poet for poetry purposes only. Please address me as Jackie in your responses. My pronouns are she/her.

This following poem was inspired by the life of Roberta Cowell.

Spitfire Girl, By Brian37(Now transitioning MTF as Jackie Leigh) (Also known as Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

Spitfire Girl,

BF-109, Messerschmitt
Looking to obliterate Britain
But Roberta was certain

Certain to keep her wit
While the barrage of bullets
Made tracers in the sky

The Nazis did so try
To make Roberta die
While doing barrel rolls

In the sky, at the time
Outwardly in other’s eyes
She presented as a guy

But knew in her core
Long before the war
She was not a boy

After Hitler took his own life
Roberta went under the knife
And became what she always knew

A woman through and through
I think this reward was due
She protected me, protected you

But now in the land of the brave
The narcissist has made a cave
The White House has become a nave

Avoided Nam because of spurs
The 34x felon has some nerve
To tread on transgender rights

Authoritarians she did fight
The pilot lit up the night
So you could sleep free tonight

47 wants a military parade
The desires of a dictator charade
Wearing the medals of his classmate

Cowell would be horrified
At what that bastard has tried
Our rights he has denied

History is on her side
He won’t take our pride
Keep Cowell’s memory alive.
(end)
Trump never served, neither have I. But unlike him, I do not pretend to be something I am not. I could not do what Roberta did, but I am glad she did. Bullies act tough but in the end are all cowards.
Roberta Cowell was born “Robert Cowell” but even before the war, as she divulged after her transition, that she had always felt she was born in the wrong body. She was born in 1918 and died in 2011.
She saw combat in WW2 as a British Spitfire pilot who was shot down in 1944 and was a prisoner of war for 5 months.
There are plenty of resources you can google her name and they will pop up.