give me wings to fly
inspire me as I soar
help me stay grounded
From the platform twenty-five feet above ground, I have a view of the clear September evening sky.
I serve the trapeze bar to my fellow flyer and watch her take off into the air.
I pull the riser from the pegs and set it down. I inhale the evening sky, notice the sun fading between two buildings across the river.
A foundation of golden yellow and orange, with hints of pink provides a foundation for a clear blue evening sky. The lights of downtown Manhattan twinkle in the dusk. In the distance, Lady Liberty stands watch.
My friend lets go of the trapeze bar and falls gently to the net. The bar comes floating back toward me. I lean out to hook it.
There’s a comfort here. I notice my body is at ease on the small platform, practicing movements rehearsed over 18 years of flying.
I notice my mind is not thinking about it, my body is simply doing what it knows.
A new friend joins me on the platform — we call it the “board” — and now it’s my turn. I chalk my hands. I put my grips over my fingers. My friend swings the bar to me and I lean out to take it in my right hand, while my left hand holding the upright pole for support.
I inhale and exhale, then I give a nod to Lady Liberty as I swing the bar up with my right arm. A small hop with my feet sends me into the night sky, as my left hand finds its way to the bar.
And then it’s just us. Me and the bar, working together in the rhythm of the swing to defy gravity.
An intricate dance of tension and resistance as we find flow.
I notice that if I try to think about it, it eludes me. But when I trust it, magic happens. My body knows what to do.
Effortlessly gliding into position on the bar, I am soaring. And then the peak of the swing approaches. I let go. And I feel the magic.
For the briefest moment I am suspended in the air. It’s just me and the wind.
I inhale the magic elixir of life, the nourishment to my soul. I am flying. And then I land softly in the net.
Even as I roll out of the net and put my feet on the ground, my heart is still lifted. My soul is filled with light. It’s as if I’ve been kissed by the angels themselves.
I am home.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...