My lungs fill with oxygen
And I'm drowning in air.
Our bodies hang heavy on the rope
As it reaches for the clouds,
The earth continues
Its graceful, terrifying descent.
I can feel the threads
Bruising my freezing palms
As the wind pushes us
Up into the sky.
Helplessly, I hold the rope to me
A lifeline,
My only link to salvation and gravity.
Our hands shake,
Sending vibrations through the strings,
Evidence.
We are afraid
Of our gentle mortality.

We sail higher and higher
Into the atmosphere,
Knowing now
It is impossible to save the child.
Is it his breathing I hear?
Shallow and ragged in his chest?
Is it my own?
My heart sings
A frightened beating of syncopated rhythms
As we're rising higher still.
The atmosphere forces pressure on us
As precious seconds pass.
My eyes close tight
Against the shame and terror.
Trembling, I will my hands to loosen their grip.
I let go.
The rope is disappearing far from sight
As I fall,
Watching the silhouettes
Of the other men
As they unfurl,
And we hit the ground,
Safe and alive.
And there is nothing to wonder
Except for the life of a child
We have forsaken this hour
For fear of sacrifice.