I think that's why I love the clouds.
Not because they're pretty,
not because they drift,
not because they paint sunsets
and give photographers a gift.
I love them because they witness.
Because they sit above existence,
silent in persistence,
keeping secrets at a distance.
Imagine the stories they could tell.
The wedding bells.
The prison cells.
The heaven found.
The private hells.
The last goodbye.
The newborn cry.
The hopeful truth.
The practiced lie.
They watched soldiers ship away,
watched mothers kneel and pray,
watched lovers swear forever
then slowly drift away.
They've seen fists thrown,
hearts broken,
last words spoken,
promises choking
on the smoke of bridges burning.
Clouds watched kings become beggars,
watched beggars become kings.
Watched kids become parents,
watched parents become memories.
They've floated over battlefields
where young men traded futures
for medals and memorials.
They've hovered over hospital rooms,
watching monitors beep,
watching families bargain with God,
watching grown men weep.
Not a whisper.
Not a peep.
Just drifting.
Lifting.
Shifting.
As if every story weighs nothing.
Meanwhile, I'm down here
struggling to carry one.
Every first kiss beneath a streetlight.
Every drunk text sent at midnight.
Every tear shed in silence.
Every act of love.
Every act of violence.
Imagine if clouds could testify.
Could describe every why.
Why she left.
Why he stayed.
Why some debts get paid
while others follow us into the grave.
Imagine hearing them explain
how joy and pain
ride the same train
through sunshine and rain.
How a man can smile while feeling broken.
How a heart can scream without a word being spoken.
They watched me stumble.
Watched me fumble.
Watched my world crumble
then somehow survive the rumble.
They watched me lose people.
Lose faith.
Lose direction.
They watched me build myself back
one imperfect brick at a time,
one scar,
one lesson,
one confession.
So when I stare at the sky,
it's not because I'm trying to escape.
It's because I'm fascinated by what stays.
The clouds have seen every version of us.
The fearless.
The furious.
The faithful.
The faithless.
Yet every morning they return
without judgment.
A gallery of untold stories
rolling across the horizon.
And maybe that's why I love the clouds.
Because in a world where everyone is desperate to be heard,
the clouds have heard everything
and still choose grace
over gossip,
wonder
over warning,
silence
over shame.
Imagine the stories they could tell.
Imagine the stories they'll keep.