Jump!

By Aaron Blackwood

A ubiquitous presence exists up here

everything falls down

gravity’s rules are evident

A pigeon idly saunters on a ledge below

at first oblivious of me, but when known, continues

to idle on

No threat am I to it up here

Bare feet; naked, dry between the toes

wiggle free of a peevish ant

I gaze beyond the rooftops to the offing

resting on a ship that fades to oblivion

A sudden breeze stirs, and billows my blue shirt

into a sail

Smiling, my parachute –I think

My mind is free of the snafus that limit it below

Now, serene. Is this what peace is like?

In the moment. No past. No future

Just me, the wind, and the bird below

My cell phone startles me. Its incessant ringing frets me

I bristle at this stark interruption

I throw it in the air and watch it descend

and shatter without a sound

Why did he stop? When did he stop?

I refused him out. I replaced him with deep breaths

but this was futile. He returned