The Flight Beyond the Curtain

"Rise, traveler...your time has changed."

My heart leapt high, unbound, untamed,
A promise made, though none explained.
A ticket stamped in Heaven’s hand,
A journey none could understand.

I wore my finest suit with pride,
Each button fastened, tears denied.
The mirror smiled, though strange, though deep... As if it knew what I’d not keep.

The airport lights ...they kissed my eyes,
A newborn bird about to rise.
First time through clouds ...oh, what delight!
I laughed aloud into the light.

And when I landed...oh, the sight!
Crowds of faces, pure and bright.
Mothers, fathers, children too,
Of every race...they cheered me through.

"Was I this loved?" my heart did cry,
As joy and wonder filled the sky.
They reached for me...but touched me not,
Their hands met air, their smiles forgot.

Then through the crowd, I saw my wife... 
Her tears cut deeper than a knife.
She held my photo to her chest,
And whispered words that laid me rest.

"He was my home, my storm, my flame,
My laughter’s soul, my heart’s own name."

My knees grew weak, my breath grew small,
As truth unveiled its solemn call:
The man they mourned beneath the sun…
Was me...my flight had just begun.

I saw my body, calm and cold,
Wrapped in love the earth could hold.
Yet there I stood ...unseen, apart,
Still tethered softly to her heart.

"Don’t cry, my love," I tried to say,
"We’ll meet again beyond the day."
For death’s not dark ...it’s just the dawn,
The final gate...the wings reborn.

And as I rose, her whisper came,
Through tears that carried both our names:
"Fly high, my love, beyond the sky ... 
You lived, you loved ...you’ll never die."