For a moment I thought
it was a butterfly,
the yellow and orange leaf
that took flight from the swishing poplar tree
across my balcony.
It swayed and fluttered in excitement –
here and there, up and down,
undecided if right or left,
to the ground or up to the sky –
Should I stay or should I go?
What to make of perceived options
when you lose your wings to know
that gravity always wins?
And ultimately to the ground
with or without wings.