Judy Flies the Friendly Skies

After her mother died, Judy discovered
she could fly. It was easy: squint, point
your toes, remember not to fall.
Judy had been trying to hide from her
father, but there was no place on earth
he couldn’t find her. Judy resolved to run
away to the moon and live with the moon
bears as their Queen. It was a plan.
The roof wasn’t high enough, so she
brought a stepladder. She locked the door
behind her, placed the ladder at the roof’s
edge, climbed and stood on the top rung,
eyes focused on the white face above her.
A line of geese passed low overhead,
tooting their horns. Judy’s feet left the ladder.
At that moment, she knew that some part
of her would never touch ground again.