4th Place
“Dead Balloons”
Mike Parrish
LaGrange, Georgia
Videos by American Songwriter
The helium has seeped
From the “I heart you” balloons
Also from the ones that
Wished in vain you’d get well soon
Now they’re tangled in their ribbons
Laying on this sterile floor
As my mind jumps back and forth
Between the now and the before
(Chorus)
I can see you in the spring time
I can smell your sweet perfume
Picking flowers on a creek bank
Sipping honeysuckle blooms
Then it’s back into the harshness
Of this cold hospital room
Littered with remnants
Of a dozen dead balloons
I gather your belongings
On a stainless steel cart
With my emotions as deflated
As your overburdened heart
The nurse gives me a moment
One last glance at “can’t believe”
The balloons still lightly scattered
Like early autumn leaves
(Repeat Chorus)
Very well written song!