When I was a kid I used to think that Florida was Heaven
not because I had been there or had even seen pictures of it
or really knew anything at all about the place
but when I was 5, maybe 6 years old
my grandmother and grandfather went to Florida
but just to visit, I was assured they would return
they went to the airport and flew to Florida to visit my grandma’s sister
and my mom tried to explain airplanes and pointed one out in the sky
so I thought Florida was in the clouds
which is exactly where I thought heaven was
so it dawned on me that Florida was in heaven
or heaven was in Florida or Florida was heaven
filled with angels and alligators, way up in the clouds above our house
with a magical kingdom and a talking mouse
and Jesus and Elvis and ancestors.
It made sense, there was no ladder in the world that tall
so they had to take a plane
even though it seemed like an incredible pain in the ass
to have to drive to the airport and get on a plane
to go to the clouds right above our house.
The first pictures I saw of Florida
when my grandparents got home
were of Disney world
and the magic kingdom certainly seemed
like something that would be in the clouds,
and they also had pictures from Gatorland
and I was scared to think that so many alligators
were up in the clouds in Florida
but I knew they must be good alligators
since they made it to heaven
and only good things were in heaven.
My mom said that kids couldn’t go to Florida,
only old people could go
and I assumed that this was because they had to visit their parents
who had died,
and to prepare for their own deaths one day
and my friend’s grandparents moved to Florida
and I was so sad for him because I thought they were dead
and I was even sadder when my grandma’s other sister moved to Florida
because I thought that she died
but she came back later that year for Christmas
so I wasn’t sad anymore.
I never flew on an airplane until I was almost 18 years old
but I did go with my grandmother to visit Florida on a bus
over my winter break during eighth grade
and we didn’t go to Disney
but we did go to Gatorland
but it was probably quite a while before that
when I realized that Florida isn’t heaven
and it’s not in the clouds
and old people move there for the weather
or to run away from family problems
not because they’re dead.
I vaguely remember my grandfather pointing up at the clouds
explaining where they were going on their trip
I don’t think I imagined that Florida was in the clouds
I’m pretty sure he was trying to amuse himself
by lying to a 5 year old kid.
He never said that Florida was heaven
I figured that out on my own.
soitgoes1984 