The Balloon

They held the balloon like a borrowed soul, Afraid to breathe, afraid it’d tear. It wasn’t much—just air and string— But it made them feel that someone cared. A gasp, a slip, the silence fell— No scream, just eyes that couldn’t blink. They watched it leave without goodbye, Like everything they’d lost—gone in a blink. They wandered home through empty streets, Not crying—just too numb to break. A balloon came floating down their path, But they had no heart left to take. They passed it by with lifeless steps, A ghost behind those almond eyes. Too hurt to hope, too tired to reach— Just silence now beneath the skies.