I Made A Wish

I made a wish.
It formed in my mind like bubbles from a gently flowing stream.
It flowed from my consciousness, free as the soaring wind kissing the first rays of the sun.
It gave me warmth, like the tendrils of a quiet fire.

I made a wish.
It traveled to the distant corners of my thoughts.
Its frail being clashed against the endless smog of my worries.
It did all it can to escape the screeching clutches of my woes.

I made a wish.
It breathed a short life, and then lifted its ethereal arms to heaven.
It began asking, "why am I even here?", as it melted into fantasy.
It slowly disappeared, soon to be forgotten against the present.

I made a wish.
I had forgotten what it was.
Maybe it was something innocent.
Something like wishing I could spend some time in quiet.
Something like wishing I could touch the blades of grass in my hometown.
Something like wishing I could stop to feel the afternoon breeze flow around me.
Something like wishing I could watch the shooting stars arc over the moon.
Something like wishing I could pause for a moment, and live.

I made a wish.
I had forgotten what it was.
Maybe it was something innocent.
But the world has a way to kill innocence, even before it wakes.
The world has a way to hurt, to wound, to maim, to crush.
The world has a way to remind us that it is all that matters.
The world has a way to tell us that dreams are for another world, another life.
The world has a way to force us forward, endlessly.

I made a wish.
I had forgotten what it was.
Maybe it was something innocent.
Maybe it was not.
I had forgotten because I had let it go.
I chose to let it go, lest it be crushed by my own struggling arms.
I watched it fly to its heaven, with the wistfulness of a tear falling to the ground.
And just as soon I had forgotten it.

But maybe one day I'll see it again, and I'll remember... why I made a wish.