when she was very young
her father bought her
a red balloon-
one minute she was holding it
and the next it had slipped out of her grasp
and floated away
that made her sad,
and she cried
when she was thirteen
she entered a writing contest
oh, how she had worked on that story!
she was positive that she would win
but she didn't
she didn't even place
that made her sad,
and she cried
when she was all grown up
she met a man
and she fell in love
she thought they would be together forever
as young fools often do
so imagine her surprise
when she came home to a "dear john" letter instead of a fiancé
for her that was
the straw that broke that camel's back
and so you see
life is a little like
losing that red balloon
over and over
and reaching,
reaching,
reaching
for it-
and grasping nothing
