balloons from a girl

along the beach one day,

i came across a simple old balloon man

and a girl.

barefoot,

the girl walked up to the old ballon man,

innocent and dreaming,

and asked for a balloon.

"which one, my dear,"

asked the weathered man

in a kind, grandfatherly tone.

"one of each kind, if you please."

and so he untied the balloons,

one of each kind for the little girl,

and gave them to her.

she handed him some coins

and he took them all,

counting them as she dropped them into his hand.

he looked at them for a moment,

then to the balloons,

and back to the coins.

i knew he knew.

but instead he smiled.

"thank you, dear.

now promise me you'll treat them well,

those are my most special ones."

"i promise i will,

though they're not for me."

the old man looked puzzled

but he smiled all the same,

tipping his hat,

and walked away,

her coins jingling in his pocket.

 

i turned back to the girl,

who had by now begun weaving her way

through the filling beach.

she was looking at the faces

of the many people,

looking for something.

every once in awhile

the girl would stop

right in front of the many people

and hold out one of the balloons.

"care for a happy thought?"

but each time

the many people would turn her down,

some politely,

some not so politely.

yet, despite this,

each time the girl would wish them

a happy day,

smile,

and walk on to the next person.

on and on she walked and asked,

on and on she was rejected,

and on and on she kept smiling.

 

soon the girl came to me.

i stood,

unable to move

even though i wasn't going to,

as she walked slowly up to me

with the balloons,

one of each kind,

grasped in her hand.

"care for a happy thought?"

i blinked, squinting in the sun.

"i..."

i didn't know what to say,

but i think she understood.

"it's okay, happy thoughts are free."

i held out my hand

and she handed me a balloon.

"thank you,"

was all i could manage to say.

"have a happy day, boy."

then the girl smiled and walked from me.

 

i watched her for a minute

as she scanned the beach for anyone else.

i was last,

for it was getting later in the day,

and there was no one else.

then the girl slowly walked to the water's edge,

standing so the tide could just reach

around her feet.

she pulled down each balloon

and kissed it.

then suddenly,

the girl let the balloons go

and they were taken away with the wind.

up and up they rose

until they were just a spec in the sky.

and then they were no more.

 

the little girl had watched them go,

a smile on her face the whole time.

i wondered why she would do that,

why she would just throw the balloons away

when she had just tried to make people happy with them.

and as she walked back

from the reaching waves,

she paused just a moment at my side.

she must have seen

the puzzled look on my face.

"they're for the stars,"

she said,

and walked away,

the evening breeze blowing through her hair.

 

i couldn't help but smile

as i watched her leave,

my happy thought still clenched in my hand.

so that night,

when the beach was empty

of its many people,

i went out to where i stood that day

with my balloon

and looked up to the stars.

they make me happy,

i thought,

they make me so happy.

i went down to the water

and let it climb around my feet.

looking up once more at the stars,

i kissed my balloon

and whispered softly,

"for you."

Reviews

[Jenny Wren]

This poem reminds me of my favorite children's book. Sometimes it takes a child's point of view to prove something we otherwise would never have given thought to.