Leap from whatever you see
to best prepare for vicious landings.
Callous your body
with frequent falls.
Climb every hillock.
Flop into the pond.
Inure yourself to every injury
day after day
year after year.
Be your bruises.

Experience the heights.
Introduce yourself to the air.
Notice every nuance
of the life above.
Commune with the birds
the wasps
the leaves blowing every which way
like Dylan’s answers.

Become one with the atmosphere.
Know the world above you
and explore every aspect you can find.
Study the stars.
Read science fiction, comic books,
fantasy.
Learn about the Wrights
and the balloon men before them
and Icarus and Daedalus, as well.

With all this knowledge
buzzing about your brain
swooping and curling through your synapses,
climb again
to the toppingest place you can see.
Breathe in the rarefied air
and acclimate
and wait
and wait
and wait some more
and when the moment is right
– and you will know when that is –
jump.

It is in this way
that you may learn to fly.