Falling into the Blue
By John Herlihy

I
The ground is solid enough; we are thankful for that.
My feet sink into the earth with the tenacity of a cat.
Let me lay down a while and gaze deeply into the sky;
It covers the world in wonder with its blue canopy on high.
In the desert the tedious sands look like bread unleavened;
In contrast, the soaring sky above looks every bit of heaven.
I lay myself down and gaze up meaningfully into the blue;
There isn’t a cloud in the sky that has cleared of morning dew.
The nighttime stars have disappeared with the dawn haze;
I am finally left on my own and simply stare up and gaze,
Into the deep, rich miracle of it all and wonder what it means,
We see the sky every clear day as if we know what it seems.
Now as I lay on my back, I look straight into the celestial dome,
Hypnotized into thinking I am looking at my ancestral home.

II
How many times have I looked and just seen haze and blue,
Worrying about my petty problems like a mischievous shrew.
This time when I looked up I saw the depths of the heavenly ceiling;
I had the sensation of dizziness and my mind seemed to be reeling.
I looked so long and so deep I now felt that I was falling and falling,
Hanging from the ground and falling into a vision that was enthralling.
Am I looking up or looking down I could no longer rightfully consider,
Falling further and further, miles upon miles, into an emptiness hither.
I seemed to be falling forever; it felt like saying a final good-bye,
Before I woke up to realize I was on my back still looking on high.
I looked at the greenery all around me, the grass tickled my ears;
A daddy longlegs stretched on a leaf nearby; the sight softened my fears.
It threw off a puff of perfume, as they do when they are scared;
I smelled a musky odor, then looked to the horizon, my soul laid bare.