Focused, flying and free, hand over hand I ascend. As the luscious black material slides past my body its fluid resistance mocks me through my struggle to gain height. The silk is gradually wrapped around my leg to guarantee stability. I now heave myself upward and thrust the silk forward until my arms are fully extended. My legs flip backward until they are straddled above my head. My awareness of movement is acute. My hands recede from the silk as I arch my back into an elegant posture, seemingly defying gravity.
 

This is aerial modern dance.
 

I am halted in suspension. While hanging openly in the air there doesn’t seem to be a care in the world. My hands withdraw from the silk and my body releases the outward tensions of life. The stresses of the day dissipate. Rigors of work and arguments melt away. The only task left is to focus on myself.

There is no one to shape my thoughts or to cause me pain. I am free.