Old Lovers

The clouds descended that morning. I had only one wish amongst many which seemed impossible. Isn't flying the only dream we dream when the bird we reach to pet takes off, yawning with its wings? I wanted to fly up, ball up clouds in my hands like snow and bring them down as I land theatrically, gracefully. I jumped off sidewalks and stairs to see if I could land without breaking a bone or falling face first. I prepared for my first flight.

I grew up, and as I gained years, my bank of things-to-know gained a few pounds too. My aunt once told me a story where somewhere high up on a paved mountain road a cloud passed through her car. How did it feel? I asked her. She looked at me confused and said: It was cold. It just passed right through, like cold air. The disappointment I felt still wheezes when it breathes.

The solid fluffs of clouds turned out to be a mirage, preserving its secrets only by staying far up, brushing the space between space and atmosphere like a handle-less broom. That's why we forget about flying and landing. We know now there are no cotton arms to hug us and our wings as we lift off.

The clouds, my old lovers, lost more and more of my attention because their lies had been caught. I didn't even jump off stairs anymore; just stepped off like a reasonable human being. I suppose they got upset at my conditional attachment. I suppose they got attached to me right then, like a faithless sweetheart who wants you only after you leave. I suppose they did, because before it was time to wake up that morning, they made their way down to my sea-level city; they bowed their heads and sank to my window, passed through iron bars and pressed their white noses against the glass. I suppose they decided love was not a cul-de-sac but a two-way street and that it was time to confess. Because when I woke up that morning, all I could see was fog.