When I was five, dandelions and sunshine
Running through the grass, feeling the blades
Of green envy tickling my feet
Laughing with me as I run faster and
Faster until I am flying freely
The air leaping up with me as I am filled
With oxygen, so much it spills from me
As I catch my breath, chasing it in and out
Feeling it leave me, again and again
The birds are jealous that I can fly higher
Than the clouds, stealing their domain
As I sing my own songs, drowning out their trills with laughter
But the joke is on me
As I become larger and larger
My wings turning to arms and legs
The flapping turning to flopping
Until I find myself grounded, my insides sunken as
My outsides are oppressed
The air around me turns heavy
The yellow dandelions turn white
They flake away, like feathers, birds flocking
As I sit and watch
My feet firmly planted on the ground