I wonder if dying is at all like flying

Because living feels like standing still when you’re young

Then it starts to feel like accelerating

Blasting through the runway like a sprinter right off the blocks

I used to think when I was a kid that I’d spend my whole life waiting

Waiting for things that would never happen

But time moves like a plane at full speed

The hands on the wall tick-tock

There’s turbulence in the sky

I say a silent prayer that we’ll make it out alive

Who are all the people I’m surrounded by

Where are they all going

Can they all be worth knowing

After some time of cruising we begin the descent

Some around me breathe out while others lament

I feel the plane drop and my stomach sinks

We turn in the sky

I hover over my hometown – that strip of beach, downtown, the freeway

We hang

Shadows dim the interior as the clouds cause the sun to wink

We drop a little lower

My whole life is in view of my eyes

My husband sitting beside me grabs my hand

We’re both looking down at the land

I try to breathe

As we keep dropping

I loved that place where I spent my life

I hope I was a good wife

The engine makes an unforgettable sound

We seem to stall

I hear the wheel drop down

The runway reappears

The one we took off from

Was that all?

I take a deep breath, feel a little numb

I take a second to reflect

As my heart pounds

A tube full of people like a hot air balloon full of adventure comes on down

For a moment I forget the pain

The trip is over and we return softly to the runway

Surrounded by all the people I traveled with

The plane ride was a gift

I open my eyes and much to my surprise, we’re okay