Nine Lives

When you've been staring down
at the computer in your lap all day
heart growing tighter by the moment
sometimes it helps to get higher
to go out onto the balcony
and hoist yourself up
using the flower box as a stepping stool
and to shimmy up towards the roof
climbing the stucco like you used to climb
the sprawling dogwood in your grandmother's yard
the dogwood was easier to climb
or maybe your body was more equipped to climb
your knee pops loudly now
and you feel dizzy with the worry
that you might fall
you've learned something about gravity
since the old dogwood days
but the need to get closer to the sky
trumps the vertigo
and when you reach the top
you straddle a short wall between the buildings
for balance
remembering to squeeze your legs
like you were taught in horseback riding lessons
finally you sit and greet the setting sun
at eye level
sure, you wish the cable wire
weren't obstructing your view
but after a while looking out across the rooftops
you begin to forget what you expected to see
and you start to just see
the crepe maple that seems so sparse from the ground
now rises up to offer you pretty purple flowers
as if it has mistaken you for the sun
and an airplane passes overhead so close
you can't help but wave wildly
laughing at the thought of the one passenger
who happens to look down at that very moment
to see the woman on the wall
now you know why you can't keep the cat
from climbing onto the roof
this is how it feels to have nine lives