I Wanna Fly, I Wanna Touch the Sky

Moments felt like hours. Days felt like weeks. My movements were so heavy, iron chains held me down. I was restless, dying to be free.

There was the second before the second. Time stood still. I watched as my body drifted, and my mind gazed upon it. Lost and found. Nowhere else to run. What’s gonna be the answer? The game has changed, but really, it seems the same. Is it something else—is it you?

Wait, have you learned something new?

I stand on the edge looking down. Always there. I’m grounded, but urge to take a step. What would happen? I see the valley down below. The clouds drifting by. What is stopping me? Where will I go if I go? Are you ready? Are you ever?

I live there, next to the edge. I think about it day and night. I grow with it. I always feel its presence. It is a place in my mind. I see it constantly. There is no escaping. It has become a part.

Years pass. The edge never changes, but slowly, I do. I stop thinking about it. I forget its power. Trial and error give me answers. I challenge boundaries, mine and theirs. The giant seems less. One day, I don’t even notice it’s gone.

I awake to find myself dangling. My feet do not touch anything. At first, I thought it was a dream, some other script. I realize everything is mine own. Here, now. I am weightless. I am already airborne. I feel the breeze on my face, underneath my arms. Cool and smooth to the touch. How long have I been here awake/ dreaming?

When I stopped worrying if I could fly, I noticed I was already off the ground. I am sky high now, and there is no need to come down. I cried for the first time in years, and I’ve never felt so free.

“Yeah, I’m a free bird now, and this bird you cannot change.” -Ronnie Van Zant