Wings beating at the air,
pushing bodies from the ground,
intrigued me as a child.
Birds
   Bats
      Angels
         Dragons
            and other winged creatures
beckoned me to join them
through pages and fairy tales I held dear.
I wanted to be like them;
to have wings and fly
to places only imagined.
But life is cruel,
and I got my reality check
sooner than I was ready to let go.
I know now
that humans will never fly
    with wings of bone
        and skin
            and feathers.
I am forever bound to the Earth,
this place.
                  And yet…
                                  I still dream.