let's do something fun

let's do something fun
and romantic for a change,
she tells me while browsing
through a magazine on fun things
to do as a couple.
I have the tv on,
lying on the couch
with a cold beer,
and a bag of salted,
shelled peanuts.
let's take a hot air balloon
ride over orange county.
it's just an hour away,
we can stop at one of those
roadside markets and get
some tomatoes too.
I toss some shells onto
the newspaper
and look over at her.
hot air balloon? I say
to her, shaking my head.
two words. no three words.
power lines, death.
oh don't be silly, they
hardly every crash.
I've been waiting for this
moment for a long time,
and pull out my scrap
book which I've had under
the couch just waiting for
the right opportunity.
it's filled with newspaper
photos and reports of
hot air balloon disasters,
starting with the Hindenburg.
I watch her as she thumbs
through the thick folder
staring at the burning
bodies, the carnage,
the flames enveloping
the colorful striped balloons
and straw baskets.
her eyes get wide and she
says oh my. oh my.
see, I tell her, turning
the volume up on the tv,
that's what i'm talking about.