Saturday 16 February 2008

Looking in the mirror

Look down from up here and those little green and brown patches with ants sliding up and down their seams show you just how far you’ve come. There were times when you were too close to see the blades but now, but now the forests are just glades, clumps, dots gone, gone.

Look through the ropes, the ropes are twisted and don’t stand up to close scrutiny; they’re tense and look strong but it’s not them holding you up. In the long term, they will fray, their loose ends will slip away from the brackets that clamp them onto anything solid but you will not.

Look up from your basket. Yes, that’s it, straight up and there’s a fiery glow, roaring, lifting your spirits, your leaden shoes cast over the sides and making you both hot and cold, an ember in a glacier rising to the surface of the atmosphere.

Look beyond the glow and there’s a material rainbow colouring your view, a flimsy, fluttering piece of material and your flight depends on its flawlessness. Have heart, it may look thin and vulnerable but it will embrace the air and rise above it. Like you. On the outside its surface undulates, is battered by the turbulence but inside, the warmth keeps it going. There is some writing on the material but don’t waste your time trying to work out what it says; your journey is too short.

Look at the man on the other side of the basket but don’t linger because he won’t return your glance, he’s too busy admiring the view. You should do the same. Or look at yourself. Open your bag, take out your mirror and look at your face. Feel the wind on your cheeks. Look in the mirror again. Your fears are behind you.

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