Dumbo the Flying Elephant

By J.D. Isip

The first flight was awkward and exhilarating –
Watching my shadow fused to yours, two bodies lifted
High above the prismatic fantasyland of possibilities,
Unaware of my ability to make you rise or fall
We enjoyed each other passively
For a short moment we travelled
Went nowhere
Landed

And the day wore on so quickly, the attractions outpacing
One another in mystery, in glamour, in agility, experience –
And my appetite and imagination rose
To the pirates and the cowboys,
The haunted corners
The doomed artifacts
Left me
Breathless

How far have I been since I stretched out my arms
And you stretched out your ears, and we
Flew above it all – the strange mountain range
Below us filled with danger and dark places,
Wild animals, wild gods, outer space
Swirling just beneath the surface
Calling me
Away

But I watched you from afar, just out of sight, out of reach
Today – and a few times before, to tell the truth –
Giving yourself over to the will of other novices
Fumbling at the joystick, ignorant of the ways
To make you rise and fall –
I see the magic of it
Wonder why
We end