Airborne: An Homage to Philippe Halsman

Somewhere between the earth and sky

She floats aimlessly in mid air
Seemingly effortless, discretely observant
Presumably careless, subtly trembling with fear

“Am I Hanging?” She wonders

Will her fingertips ever reach those stars?
Will her feet ever stand their ground?
Trapped in a picture perfect world
She always belonged to the darkness
Infatuated by the disturbed
Somewhere between a place called home and the endless unknown
They call it limbo I suppose…
Till now, she never really knew what it felt like to be alone

And in this hour she gazes above
A clarity comes forth reflecting on the night
For once the darkness is immaculate
And she discovers that she has wished upon too many starless skies

“Am I falling?” She wonders

How can the stars shift their path in a heartbeat?
Stubborn as hell, will she ever feel complete?
Bewildered and astray, lights flicker from all around
Will she fall among the stars or will she hit the ground?
Which are blazes of fire and which are the lights of the highways and lands?
What appear to be signs of the road where she once began
But her head held high,
Towards a trail pointing to an unexplored sky
“Not again”
She stands tall
“How could it be?”
For the same reason that once lifted her is causing her to fall
Her eyes still slightly hypnotized
And yet, she slowly begins to rise

“Am I soaring?”
Yes you are.

Solo and free
For once, you are exactly where you are supposed to be
In all your stubbornness and grace
You are far more than just a pretty face

Rise my broken beauty, rise

For today is the first day of the rest of your life.

"Starting in the early 1950s I asked every famous or important person I photographed to jump for me.  I was motivated by a genuine curiosity.  After all, life has taught us to control and disguise our facial expressions, but it has not taught us to control our jumps." –P.H.