July 9, 2024

Charlie upside-down

The video is 10 seconds long, the plane darting from one
end of my screen to the other before disappearing behind 
a dense row of trees. My stepson, thousands of miles 
away, strapped into the seat behind an unknown pilot, 
reduced to a faint Bobblehead the moment before I lose him
completely. Except just now, he sent me his latest 
Wordle score, beating me by two, not saying 
a peep about yesterday. But what more do I need 
than to watch the engine take him through the air, 
my heart breaking its own gravity to fly with him?