As the earth first registered the sun’s rays,
I was done running and sat on a bench.
I saw an orange cloud floating nearer to me.
The orange of an egg yolk, the texture
so fluffy I felt I could whisk it.
It was the biggest of the clouds and yet
it looked the lightest.
The sun’s favorite.

It stayed still above me, it did for a while.
I had an evening shade over my head at 5:39 AM.
I could never talk to it though,
and I would never be closer to it than I already was.
I was mad I couldn’t fly.

The cloud then lifted high above,
revealing the horizon to me.
A plane tore through it as it floated asunder.
Its bright orange now seemed to fade,
only jet fuel and smoke,
and it shrunk and it was pale white again.

The sun didn’t shine the same on the cloud no more.