Earthbound, I Fly
By John Herlihy

Earthbound, but I gaze quietly overhead,
Captured by the eternal blue of the sky.
Out of reach beyond us, infinite instead,
Heaven looks down as if wishing to reply.

What is it about the blue celestial dome?
Who constructed it, preserves it, and why?
When I look into its heart, I feel at home;
As I close my eyes, I utter a simple sigh.

Earthbound, I sometimes wish to escape,
Rise ourselves up upon our toes, lift off, fly.
The human story we wish to slightly remake,
In indigo blue, free floating thru summer sky.

Imagine the feathered wings I would employ,
Creating uplift as they hum through the air.
I drink from the silver chalice of human joy,
All tribulation left behind with deep despair.

Sky-bound , I look lovingly upon the earth,
My beloved home since the time of my birth.
Would that I could freely fly hour after hour,
Exulting in such breathless joy and power.

How can we capture the sense of the impossible,
A mirage, a rainbow, a star beyond our reach?
How can we make the impossible truly possible,
Mother Nature enlightens what no one can teach?

I float down to earth, my feet again on the ground;
I feel at peace, standing here on this little mound.
Earthbound, we still live in the world, here, now;
Tomorrow, I hope to lift off and fly again, somehow.