The Fear of Falling

It is said that we are born with two fears, the fear of falling and the fear of being dropped.
People believe that this is why so many of us are scared of flying,
As hurtling through the sky at 500 miles an hour in a tin can with wings combines them both.
But has anyone thought that we may be scared of these things for another reason?

In truth, we fear falling in love
It’s beautiful on the way up, riding the elevator to the top.
You watch the view until you both get bored,
Together you jump, or one of you pushes the other off, unsure of how else to end the trip.
The wind rushing onto your body, speed changing depending on how fast you plummet.
Memories flash around you, yet whether they are good or bad you will eventually hit the ground.
Or falling for the wrong person, you spend all these hours climbing the stairs together.
Then realise that you have forgotten something, that something is missing, so you turn around without even reaching the top. 

Sometimes, falling in love leads to falling out of love.
You give someone your heart, and they take good care of it as you look after theirs.
They learn its favourite songs, so they can play them every night.
They bring its favourite food and flowers, care for it like their life depends on it.
Until they have had enough
Until it starts to get hard.
They drop it, breaking it into thousands of pieces. 

Your heart takes months to fully form, yet it takes seconds to destroy.
Is this why we fear falling and getting dropped, or are we afraid of the fear itself?
Petrified of the unknown, the uncertainty that lays ahead.
There is no perfect plan for the future, no guarantee that tomorrow will be better than today,
That you won’t fall for the wrong person, or that they won’t break your heart.
The thing is, when you find the perfect person, you’re not as scared
They make you feel safe, you feel at home in their arms.
I am trusting you.
I am going to take off soon.

Kaley Rawlinson – Year 13