Lost Boy’s Balloon @ 7000 Feet

By Pete Funk

You must understand
why I finally stopped waiting:
having only seen
the inside of the garage
and the grass of the yard,
having only shared
conversation with the rakes
and certain forgotten toys,
I couldn’t resist
your father loosening
the ropes,
his fingers roughly
in the tackle
that held us both.
I felt for your cower
in my belly.
I had heard whispers,
tender plotting,
while you played.
I misunderstood.
I thought
I would carry you
into the heart
of this melting sky.
If you were here
I would dare you
not to be joyful
amidst all this blue.
I understand now
that certain things
simply have to happen:
attics will gather the hidden,
we will all
deceive ourselves
with the help of strangers.
We will rise skyward
and wait to descend.
Believe me when I say,
I dreamt a life with you.
Still, in the absence
of your weight
this sky is beautiful.