San Joao Poem by James Fitzpatrick

San Joao

I stand and then lean on a flittering ledge, staring at lanterns as they
Light up the sky, I catch their smiles as they pass through the clouds
And their tears as they lose sight of land.

They are lit by the hands who design what they are, and they rise
Out of fear they'll never take off, and on a gust of stray wind they glide up above
Before they peak and start to descend.

I watch as they wander along with their dreams, as the dogs start to bark and howl
At the flames, I stare at the future as it runs to catch yours,
Before you arrive in a new land or place.

But just like the Phoenix who rose from below, as your feet touch the grass
You used to adore, a pair of young hands catches your frame
And you dance as you did once in rain.

Sao Joao is a celebration which takes place in Portugal in June every year. Here the author is standing on a window's ledge watching the customary lanterns be lit and wished upon before being let go. They rise like the immigrants leaving their shores only for some to return again after a short period above the clouds. They are accepted back as if they never left.