Sensation incomparable

Who needs tethers?
Who needs stays?
The last rope untied,
The balloon rises, free.
The gas pulls me upward.
I am an aeronaut.

The crowds diminish,
The seagulls and I ride the wind.
I steer myself to Naples.
I turn off the gas, sink.
A gossamer landing.
The crowds watch me.
To them, this is incredible; to me
This is a science: gas, weight, pennies.
My return. I take my money and head away
into the crowded world.

Julia Lee lived in Swansea as a child, but now lives in London. She is a graduate of the Warwick and UEA creative writing programmes, and works as a journalist.