Ferris Wheel

(in memory of a childhood friend who chased after the balloon.)

Starlight shining brightly

beneath our dusty sneakers,

town lights

illuminating sky,

horizon invisible,

as though all the world

was heaven…

Cotton candy-ice cream

mosaics upon our shirts.

No angels’ wings behind us.

Just a balloon in hand

whose destiny was to show us

how high

we could fly

if only

we let it

go…

Chocolate covered smiles

missing two front teeth,

laughing

as though ’twas our laughter

that gave life

to the wind…

And his hand

held mine

As though, suddenly

it has found

its purpose…

And when his lips

discovered their puspose too,

the balloon fulfilled its destiny

and went to join the stars…

Between town lights

and starlight

that we could not tell apart,

the wheel lifted us up

to what used to seem

like the highest part of the world!

And then we forgot…

Until the day I stood before his grave

and knew I owed him a memory

of a touch,

a kiss,

and of a balloon that flew away,

still waiting for me

to catch up…