Scurry yellin’ got caught up in the mix, and I kept on fallin’ over more than usual. It all happened so fast; I barely recollect anything besides a small blue fin. Lights blinded my dilated pupils, and voices came at me from all directions. Everything started to blur together; the clouds and the sky created this amazin’ blue and white color. And for some reason, my body felt like the little life that I had left was drainin’ out of me. I couldn’t remember a thing at the time. My own name slipped my noggin for a few seconds, and when my heart hurt worse than my bones, I knew something wasn’t right. I thought I heard my papa’s voice, but it could’ve just been in my head. Maybe, I wanted to hear his voice because I couldn’t fight no more; there were too many obstacles stacked against me, and I ain’t have the choice to stay neither – or at least I thought I ain’t. Hopefully, papa caught that sucker! I wish I could’ve saw that thing’s disturbin’ face and heard papa say his infamous line one last time. No kidding, I had the best papa around. He was a Jack-o’-alltrades and master of life; I guess that’s why my mama married ‘em. They were the happiest couple, and I thought they had perfect lives. I’m thinkin’ I messed that up, though. I sure did love my family, and my mama and my papa loved me with everything they had. Whenever we all went for a walk, mama would sing Negro spirituals while papa would throw my lightweight up in the air like a bird. I thought I heard papa yell my name, but I think it was too late because the blue and white sky that I was talkin’ about earlier was now brighter than the sun. I cringed as it flashed over me, but like a wave of water, all of the aches that had been pressin’ on my body finally washed away. It was such a relief yet bittersweet. I just want papa and mama to know that I never stopped fightin’. I wish words could’ve been the cure. “The birds weren’t the bees and the bees weren’t the trees,” and all he ever wanted was for me to know that I could be whichever I wanted. No matter what, the soaring creatures and honey suckers would never come nowhere close to the wonderful trees. I ain’t get it…‘til now. Papa, mama, I guess y’all will be joinin’ me and God up here in kingdom come. See you later.
128