Once upon a time gone by,

I spied a vessel in the sky.

A perfect form with colours plenty,

Drifting, touching each cloud gently.

Beneath, a mass, a woven casket.

A strong and sturdy hanging basket.

Its gentleness held my stare.

The calm mystique so very rare.

The craft then lowered to the ground,

Within which emptiness I found.

It beckoned me to go inside,

To embark on a wonderous ride.

No hesitation, I agreed,

Then felt, somehow, that I’d been freed.

Ascending in the mass of space,

A vehicle with power and grace.

I watched the ground beneath me shrink,

While fields became blots of ink.

Homes and cars turned into specks,

Obscuring all those known objects.

The voyage was mellow, so serene.

Chaos couldn’t intervene.

The gentle glow of roaring flames,

Floating past the barren plains.

Wandering without objection,

I felt a sense of pure protection.

Without a grasp, hours had fled,

Now only darkness up ahead.

Pinprick lights amid indigo sky,

This was a living lullaby.

I gazed below me at the sea,

Of deep and pure tranquillity.

The craft reflected by the moon,

Distorting the image of this fine balloon.

The journey mellowed as I grew weak,

And fought the need to rest and sleep.

I drifted towards a cosy slumber,

My body was weightless, my years were younger.

The vessel continued to float on by

Avoiding stars in the flawless sky,

‘Till the night became dawn and the sea became earth.

I awakened with an altered sense of worth.

I felt the vehicle lower once more,

As it softly reached the blemished floor.

I stepped out from the woven box,

My footing gripped unlevel rocks.

A grateful smile, I bid the craft,

And watched as it gently floated past.

Within I felt renewed, at peace,

Allowing my darkest thoughts to cease.

I will never forget that clear summer night,

When upon a magical balloon I took flight.