Up in the Sky

Up in the sky
Closer to death if we should fall,
Or closer to life,
If life ever descended from the sky.
But the men on the ground
Wearing dark uniforms
And fluorescent jackets
Waving us off,
Because they don’t fly,
Will never die,
And will forever wave us off
On terra firma.
I catch my days falling from the sky
And count them like a miser
Counting his bills,
That if the Lord will give me
Another day to live,
May I live it with anxious ecstasy.
My mind will not travel far again
For I know the sun will blaze on
The bare red hills and muddy rivers
And wear me hollow with heat and thirst,
And however far I go,
Whatever I look for
Cannot be found far away.