When you are eye level with the clouds
You can see the clouds true shape
And you can tell their underneath from their other sides.
When you are eye level with the clouds
You see that all clouds are white.
But some become so thick, so tall, so overwhelming
That they shadow themselves,
Their color distorts
And blackens.
They no longer resemble their original self,
They lose their original purity
And become black,
Dimming others.
Until they become so full of themselves that they spill out onto the land.
When you are eye level with the clouds
A little height is no height at all.
A few inches or even a few feet of difference
Is invisible from the heavens.
A five-story building differs little
From one that is seventy-seven.
The higher you go, the wider the view and the less you see.
Everyone can see a cloud,
But a cloud can’t see down through your open window.
Fortunately God doesn’t take “on high” too literal,
The spiritual isn’t so spatial,
For nothing is as disappointing as an aerial view of a cathedral.
Though built to be towering and majestic
A steeple turns into a spec
A dome becomes a circle
And a vaulted ceiling becomes flat.
After all, it was really built to impress those confined to the ground.
When you are eye level with the clouds
You can see the clouds from their own perspective.
They are a culture and you can study how they live.
They are completely free but all one.
They are not afraid of spreading themselves too thin
Or splitting into fractions or factions
Or getting lost in the mist.
There’s no fear of losing themselves in relationships
And ceasing to exist.
There can be no individuality or autonomy
When you aren’t sure what’s your own body.
There can be no marriages or alliances
When what you thought what was you is separating
Or you find that everyone is coalescing
Or sometimes you completely cover the sky.
When you are eye level with the clouds
Whether you are floating on an emotional trance,
Or standing on the majesty of nature or of man,
Or by some marvelous circumstance
You have evaporated into the air
And are enjoying the earth to sky dance:
Don’t just look down on things,
Be sure to enjoy the view.
Say to yourself, “I level with the clouds”
And be sure to enjoy the You.