Reach for the Sky

When I was young I was invincible.
Falling off the park swing and getting a skinned knee,
Was about the worst pain that there ever could be.
Still I'd pull myself up straight,
Brush the sand off of my legs and try at it again.
Higher and higher I'd push myself,
Reaching my childish hand out, as if I could grab a hold,
Although I knew I never could.

Holding onto the sky was a dream I could never quit,
Jealousy gleamed in my eyes as I watched the birds fly,
High, up so high in the great blue expanse of the daylight sky,
While I was stuck here ever so low, low to the ground.
Even at this fully-grown age,
I find myself on that same playground
Rushing towards the swing as if there was someone to beat.
Higher and higher I'd swing, like a human stuck on the ground
Just waiting to grab onto the open air,
I'd spread my feeble arms wide, pretending that
They were made of feathers that could take me far from this place.
Higher and higher I'd swing,
my mind screaming, my heart beating.
This height terrifies me, yet staring at the wide open sky,
Counting the off white, cotton like clouds, closing my eyes,
Taking that leap of faith off the playground swing,
I'm like a child again,
Putting the sanity of my mind
in the hands of my imagination
As I dream that I can reach up and grasp the sky.