I stand on the edge of the cliff,
I creep as close to the edge as I dare,
And peek.
I can't see the ground,
Only clouds,
Only the blue of the sky.

I am alone,
I am happy.
At peace.

The wind urges me to take another step,
But I resist.
My heart beats faster,
I feel the sweat building.
I know I shouldn't be here.
And I know I shouldn't look,
But I cannot help myself.
I inch my way toward what could be the end of the world.
Or only the end of mine...

My toes hang over the edge,
The thrill is unlike anything I've felt before,
My heart's racing now,
Faster and faster.
I feel the wind telling me to jump.

No,
This is as far as I come.
As far as I go.

With that realization,
The fear is gone.
I've come to the edge of the earth,
I've come as far as there is.
In this,
I find disappointment.

As I turn to walk away,
A strong breeze begins to blow.
My foot slips,
My heart jumps,
I throw myself to the dirt.
And laugh.

With the near death behind me,
I clamber back to my feet,
I brush the dirt from my chest.
And look back to the edge,
With sorrow.
As I walk away,
I wonder,
How freeing it would be to fly.
Even for a moment,
For that heartbeat,
The excitement,
The rush.
To feel the wind's caress....

Without thinking,
I turn,
I run,
And jump!

For this perfect moment,
I am free.
As only the birds are free.
For this moment,
I am as they are.
I wonder if they take it for granted.

Then it ends,
And there is only the wind howling in my ears,
Only the wind stinging my face,
Burning my eyes.
This was not the embrace I expected...

But she promises to catch me,
If I only open my arms,
But the rush of falling is too great.
And I do not listen.
Still the wind stings my eyes,
Still the wind tears at my body.

There!
Finally,
I see the earth,
From this height its only a blur of green and blue,
So beautiful,
But Boring.

Never shall the earth know the grip of the wind,
Never shall the earth know how free it is to fall,
Never shall the earth know my bliss.

As I plummet,
I forget the words of the wind,
I no longer hear its howl.
It seems almost quiet now.
I feel the blood coursing through my veins,
Never have I felt more alive.

Closer and closer,
I make out more of the land.
Trees,
Rivers,
Mountains,
Ocean.
But I do not fear them, only pity them.
For they cannot experience what I am experiencing.

It's been so long since I jumped,
I'm not even sure I'm falling anymore.
It's as if the wind has finally accepted me.
It no longer howls,
It no longer burns my eyes,
Nor beats upon my face.

I laugh,
But cannot hear the sound.
As I leave my laughter among the clouds.

The ground grows closer
I begin to wonder if my jump was foolhardy,
I can no longer see the ocean.
And the mountains grow ever larger.

Does my wild ride end here?

It cannot!
It must not!
The wind,
It said something before,
hadn't it?

Even the river is gone now,
Just the green of the trees that I shall soon meet,
The trees which will be the end of me.
So eager they look,
To claim another soul...

Open your arms,
Screams the wind in my ears!
Now I listen,
With all I have left.
I ****** my wings out wide,
The wind catches me!
As she promised.

And up I go again,
Just above the tree tops.
Which were so eager,
To meet me.

Again I laugh,
Calling out,
And see others just like me.
Soaring next to me...

The first fall of the frightened they call it.
The first fall of the awakened they named it.
And it dawns on me why there are two names,
I did not fear,
But now I understand.

I get it now,
As I beat my strong wings.
As the air now sings in my ears,
More pleasant than the howling before.
Never will I take her for granted,
Never will I take such freedom for granted.
Not like the birds,
Not like the animals,
confined to the ground.
I alone am free,
I alone can cherish this wind.

She is my goddess,
My love,
My soul,
Without her,
My freedom is lost.


I will listen to her voice for the rest of my days...