# Up There.

> Amid the clouds.

**Published by:** [On The Inside](https://paragraph.com/@ontheinside/)
**Published on:** 2024-10-22
**Categories:** theinside
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@ontheinside/up-there

## Content

Up There | A sketch by Melanie JaneI love writing when I fly. There is something about floating above the Earth’s surface and life’s existence that feels like a time capsule of sacred space. Inside that cone-nosed cylinder My existence can be.Exactly what it is Exactly how it is Exactly where I am.I have an actual excuse to put my phone on airplane ~ or I am floating and unavailable to entertain needs from the external ~ mode. I like to pretend that I do not hear the announcement that deems flight mode can be turned off. Sacred space Sacred time I will not allow interruptions of this precious moment of mine.Today I flew amid a rainstorm In a moment of break in the water’s pour, we took off. Buildings, cars and people All began to look small.The sea’s edge is visible now I see ravenous waves billowing their way to the shore. How incredible to see life from this perspective; Above.Seconds later my view from the window was interrupted by a white fluffy sheet We had entered our first cloud.I always find it fascinating to enter, be within and exit clouds. To my brain which thrives on deep thinking, poetic explanations and metaphors, there is something quite transcendent about clouds.As the plane breaks its way through the fluff, I see white horizontal lines cascading throughout the sky. How picturesque How pristine.At this moment, I remember playing Mario Bros with my siblings at my grandparent’s house when we were growing up. I always chose Luigi as my player and was bound and determined to jump on each cloud.Some I jumped on Some I high-fived from below Some served as a resting place Some gave out coins and bonuses that elevated my game as Luigi would go.Today’s adult version of me who is sitting in this not-too-comfortable airplane seat wonders what life is like up here in the clouds. I imagine the possibility of jumping on the clouds that rest parallel to my eyes Just like Mario and Luigi.I picture my feet going tip-tap on their surface And the possibility of staying for a while.Have you ever been to a mattress store? I have to tell you - there is not much I like less than mattress stores.Let me paint the picture: Huge building Of a warehouse, it may seem. Rows and rows of perfectly plotted beds and bedroom setups that you could weave in and out of for days.It is like a football field… of bedding. A concert arena… of material items with which you can dress your room.How could there be so many options for such a simple and ordinary thing?My anxiety does not do well in mattress stores. The salesmen tell me to try this one and that I follow them around like an eager pet that is ready to eat.I lay and I turn Right, left Back, front.I “Ooo” and “Ahhh” Then my stomach drops when I see the price tag To keep me engaged I hear, But wait, they are X percent off!The first time I went into a mattress store I vowed it would be my last.These clouds remind me of a mattress store. However, this one I do not want to run from. This one I would be glad to enter into and meander through for some time.My mind is daydreaming about plopping myself onto each cloud Testing them out Taking in the middle-of-the-air pause Staying for a while.That would be dreamy, wouldn't it?As my flight has continued, the scattered and independent cloud beds have retreated and slowly become one. Now instead of hundreds of choices of clouds to try, One big fluffy mattress coats the base of the sky. It stretches off into the horizon Almost as if it is a desert and the blue at its end is the sea.Wow. Now that is magical.I picture myself next to an open door with an eager mind Ready to run, jump and plop… A parachute to my back, just in case, of course.I imagine it would be just like a trampoline Ah, How blissful. Just me, myself and I bouncing toward the peace that the clouds promise exists up here.Suspended in the air Suspended in time Suspended, for a moment, from the tangibles of life.Up here there is air It is fresh With ease, I can now breathe Wandering possibilities, for the flight’s duration, can envelop my mind’s scene.To fly, at first I was scared Each take-off and landing to this day I recite the same prayer Though now I look forward to those moments up there.The wheels begin their roll Lift, lift We are up.The further we travel from below The more space in my mind opens up.I suppose it is an avenue for perspective To get away To find space. To gain clarity To listen to the dialogue that is displayed.Amid the cloud I feel I can decipher the fog of my life Those pieces, unsaid Now have space in the spotlight.A moment to discern A moment to listen to the A moment to find perspective and understanding A moment to breathe.As we make our descent Pieces of life into sight make their way I remember reality and the tangible next steps of my day.I stare with glazed eyes As we glide through the world of the clouds I stare and I hold Gratitude throughout.We are now parallel with a cloud I see it is transparent No tangible fluff That imagination in my head is assured that in real life a cloud’s reality is not as such.Even though I know they are not material They are not beds or places to rest I want to believe it To hold that reality I imagined and not release my clench.For that imaginative safe space Seems so peaceful So lush I hear the wheels exit from their cages The ground we are about to touch.Goodbye clouds, my mind says Goodbye, moment of gentle touch. Goodbye for now, I promise I will remember to look up.I think about it up there From time to time when my feet are on Earth’s floor. Up there it is serene Up there, my system feels I can soar.Slowness Steady Calm motion Soft touch.Danger not found Tenderness can show up.Back on the ground I see buildings, people Cars are there too.Back on the ground I tell myself that I can transcend back up With a simple head tilt, a shift of the eye’s glance A pause in the motion To remember the view that is up.

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