The Red Balloon

Somewhere in the wrinkles of my brain I remember a story about a young boy being followed by a red balloon in Paris. This morning at 7:30 as I went out in my yard, a lone red balloon was in the middle of my grass. It had a blue ribbon tied to it and as I watched, the balloon slowly moved across the yard. It floated about two inches above the ground. I knew that at one time that balloon had been soaring high in the sky but now it chose to land in my yard.

"What is success? It is a toy balloon

among children armed with pins."

Gene Fowler

Where did it come from? Where was it going? Did somebody have a party and the balloon escaped to float into my yard? Maybe it came from a pole advertising a garage sale. Or it might have landed in my yard to give me a feeling of nostalgia. A memory of long ago of a red balloon going every where a young boy went. I have a vague recollection that the movie made me feel good.

"Who knows if the moon's a balloon,

coming out of a keen city in the sky,

filled with pretty people."

E.E. Cummings

If the balloon had been any other color I probably would not have noticed or cared about the balloon, but the red balloon made me think about the movie of long ago. Where had it come from, why it was in my yard and where was it going? I suppose before the red balloon continues its journey, it will slowly deflate until it is a flat piece of unrecognizable piece of rubber. Made me think of life and how we are all red balloons floating and flitting around in different places until our air slowly leaks out!