We Made Paper Airplanes Because We Were Sad

Nov. 11, 2011

By Vicki Lame info

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A stack of paper, tossed on the floor, blank with unexpressed thoughts, was gathered—quickly and without hesitation—and an assembly line created. The pristine white sheets were separated, carefully creased, and constructed into twenty-three soaring arrows meant to save us. The airplanes were imperfect from the start; damaged before they left our hands by the flaws we accidentally gave them. Their wings were slightly dented, their lines slightly crooked. They were the best and worst of us. And not all of them made it. Some crashed swiftly to the ground and never found the poetry of perfect movement. Others never fell from grace and found a solid landing, slowly, artfully, and with purpose. But they all had a chance. One by one they took flight, twisting, turning, swooping down. As they flew, we felt it; that second—brief but perfect—where happiness somehow seemed possible. And as they landed, we knew it couldn’t last—because we were sad. We were sad for things we couldn’t forgive, for moments we stole that weren’t ours, and for loves we shouldn’t remember, but did. We were sad because we couldn’t help ourselves, we just were. And when we were done, and their broken flimsy bodies lay strewn at our feet on the cold, hardwood floor, a quiet descended. Because even if we made nine hundred and seventy-seven more, hoping to be granted some sort of wish, we knew we would still be sad. We wouldn’t be sad forever. And we wouldn’t even be sad tomorrow. But because we were not so young not so old in a fated city, sadness would always find us, and claim us, if just for a moment. TC mark

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image – James Humphries

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  • Conan

    im 12, what is this

  • Breannah

    That is so beautifully written. I was amazed to realize that not only was I reading about the fate of the airplanes, but I felt like the fate of those airplanes reflected the people who made them.  This is one of the best pieces I’ve read on here in awhile. Thank you for writing this, for giving me a different way to look at something today.

  • http://twitter.com/thedaysbetween Vicki Lame

    Thank you so much!

  • http://twitter.com/tannnyaya Tanya Salyers

    I was skeptical because it was so short, but it was such a beautiful, perfectly-sized read.  Thank you!

  • Anonymous

    ta.gg/5jo

  • Wuddddd

    A sign that you should be reading more. Geez.

  • http://intervital.tumblr.com eileen

    this is incredibly lovely. and so concise. very well done. i’m definitely tumblring it and looking up more of your work. please post up more!

  • anony

    So quietly hopeful, quietly melancholy. Like taking a step back and just observing a moment in time. The title made me think this would be melodramatic, but I was pleasantly surprised. Well done!

  • gvest

    lol

  • im 12 what is this

    i was so amazed to realize that one thing symbolized another thing!

  • Im12

    i read a lot i am just foreshadowing symbolism

  • Im12

    man i wish i had a short dick, shorter than the width, then i would be a real chud

  • Im12

    can i put my reblog in your wordpress. i promise i will pull out before i blogspot

  • Im12

    so beautifully tune big choon like standing on a mountain with my mind outstretched beautiful piece best thing on thought catalog makes me want to eat a salade~~

  • http://www.facebook.com/t.jason.ham Jason Ham

    This was good. My one issue with this piece is that “pristine” is a really goofy ass adjective to describe printer paper.

  • Rebecca

    I had the same thought… the word seemed really out of place to me.

    Nice piece though.

  • http://intervital.tumblr.com eileen

    hahahah

    only if you promise to go down  my twitter ;)

  • http://twitter.com/tannnyaya Tanya Salyers

    Thanks for an unnecessary reply. 

  • http://twitter.com/JustGeeee Geleen Faye Gallego

    Nice read… :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/sarah.n.knutson Sarah N. Knutson

    Ahh, but she never identified it as specifically printer paper.

    To me, ‘pristine’ fits because that’s how all relationships/moments-right-before-they’re-memories start-at least, it is in idyllic, nostalgic reflections like these.

  • Waicool

    beautiful!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=831404615 Miranda Edwards

    A little verbose in my opinion, considering the length, but the brevity of the piece is invigorating.

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