Dream of Skyboarding with Todd

AI-generated dream-board

For some reason I
have a new flying skateboard—
call it a skyboard—

and I’m thrilled to be
trying it for the first time.
It’s a warm, sunny

morning and I take
it to a nearby schoolyard
to give it a spin.

The grass is green and
the sky is blue with a few 
clouds, and the sidewalk

is pleasantly grey.
There’s no one around as I
begin my first ride.

I find it easy
and exciting, not going
too high at first, just

making a few long
sweeping arcs above the grass,
old-school skater style.

Then I get bolder
and fly up, Harry Potter like,
about fifty feet,

carving high and then
swooping down towards the ground.
It’s just then that I

see my old friend Todd
standing there grinning the way
he does. (No more, though,

since in fact Todd died
a few months ago, as a
way to end his pain.

I understand but
wish he’d found another way.)
But now, in the dream,

he’s very alive
and flashing his trademark grin
as I skyboard by

and then circle back
around for a smooth landing
right in front of him.

He suggests we try
doubling up on the board
for a tandem ride.

I say I don’t think
that’ll work but offer him 
the skyboard to try.

In his usual
exuberant way, he flies
away in a flash,

high into the sky
and disappears into blue
sky and white clouds.

I stand there looking
up at the sky. A stranger
comes along and stands

beside me. We both 
look up, watching and waiting
for Todd to return.