the life and times of a balloon

we're just
helium balloons,
with nothing but
balloon skin,
and a brain
and other vital organs
playing the parts
of helium.

early on
you just want to break free
of your handlers grip,
just wanting to go nowhere
but up.

so you do.

and inbetween
there are other balloons,
competing,
and rubbing balloon skin,
until friction is created.

we just want to get higher
while looking down
at the ground.

we go higher
and higher
until
our guts
and helium
start squirting out
our asses
that are tied
in knots.

and then we sink,
little by little,
until
the ground appears
closer
than it really is.

we sink.
we wither.
and it's usually
slow.

and sometimes
we just leave it up
to the wind.

and sometimes,
with the right conditions
we just explode
as we ride higher.

but we always
end up deflated,
on the ground,
nothing more than
leftover skin
without
any air.