Slipping the Surly Bonds of Earth

 

      Walking across the brick colored tile floor to the center of the huge geodesic dome, my head swivels around taking in every detail of this wonderful space.  Sunlight streams through the thousands of triangular glass panels that block out the cold of the cloudless winter day outside.  A few other people walk near me, each one equally impressed with this place.  You can see the wonder and awe in their eyes.

 

      I tilt my head back and look straight up at the apex of the dome.  Simply my will is enough to lift my feet off the floor.  Very slowly I rise; one foot, two feet, five feet.  Then right at the point where I perceive myself to be exactly centered in the marvelous open space, maybe one hundred feet above the floor, I simply think to stop and I hover there.

 

      Surveying my position, I look out through the windows at the cars in the parking lot, piles of snow pushed up all around by the plows that keep it clear.  Evergreen trees sway gently in the freezing winds.  People come and go through the revolving doors.  I look down, my body straight beneath me, and watch as the little people continue to walk the floor far below me.  A few of them look up at me wondering how it is possible that I should be at such a great height with no wires or devices to suspend me there.

 

      I look up.  I want to go higher.  I want to touch the very top of the dome just because I can.  So I start up again, oh so slowly...  PAIN PAIN PAIN! OH MY GOD! LEG CRAMP! RIGHT LEG! STRAIGHTEN LEG! UN-POINT TOES! PAIN PAIN!  AGONY!  UN-POINT TOES! OH, OH, OH!  OH PLEASE STOP!  KILL ME!  OH, OH!  BETTER BETTER!  Oh that's getting better.  Man that was a bad one.  Damn!  It was just a dream, it was so real.  Why can't it be real?

________________________________________________________

 

Ric's Blogs          All Blogs          Ric's Web Site

________________________________________________________

 

Constructive comments welcome at ric@ricsweb.com

© 1989 - 2006  Ricsweb - All Rights Reserved

________________________________________________________________