Balloon Ride
For only
four-hundred and forty-five dollars an hour,
you, too, can block my view of the falls
In a bulbous, garish contraption
floating uncontrollably through the gorge.
Uncontrollable... but slow.
After all, you want to block the sightlines
of the peasants at the wall
for
as
long
as
possible.
And they will exclaim,
"Look how beautiful!
Isn't that amazing!
I wish I had
four-hundred and forty-five dollars an hour
to spend in an afternoon
of up close water views
while no one else can see anything at all."
And the green glory of the gorge,
the unconstrainable life
that forces its way out through the shale,
can hardly compete with
silken rainbows
of conspicuous consumption,
full of hot air,
breaking the scenery
for only
four-hundred and forty-five dollars an hour.