The boat surges through the roaring waves,
tossing and swaying,
the salty mist splashing my face.

I sit, rear deck,
the sun beaming down my back.
Wearing tangling belts and straps,
secured to extensive rope.

A gust of wind picks me up,
my feet lifting off the deck.
The saggy parachute blooms into a bright red flower,
carrying me like a hot balloon.

I drift
higher
and higher toward the clouds,
the boat and the raging currents
smaller
and smaller under my feet.

A breeze brushes past me,
sweeping the weariness out of my mind.
Fresh air fills my lungs,
wiping the cloudiness from my eyes.

Down below,
the sea flows, the picture of calm.
The waves
are roving wrinkles,
and the boats
are swimming fish.

Like a bird,
I am soaring high above.
I want to yell,
to greet this new world.
The vast ocean,
the blue skies.
My heart light as
the fluttering parachute.