She had a fear of flying –
of looking down and having nothing to ground
her feet on.
He had a fear of falling –

of feeling his stomach dropping, limbs flailing,
then suddenly, gone.
She had a fear of flying,

hated the queasiness of plummeting
when the plane hit a pocket of air gone wrong.
He had a fear of falling

past everything he ever stood for, and her playing
him as a pawn.
But she had a fear of flying,

needed someone to keep her from crying,
because he didn’t stay until dawn.
He had a fear of falling,

and never heard her begging
for him to give her one last song.
She had a fear of flying
but he had a fear of falling.