Balloons Poem by Lynne RBC

Where do balloons go?
I really want to know.

If I release it to the sky
Will it forever fly?
Or will somebody else start to see
as soon as I catch it's color shed
Why in fact did I choose red?

How do you pacify a child
who held it last
when all you hear is her final gasp
and unceasing whimper?
Will you tell her
it's out to send a message
to her daddy up in heaven?
Or that it's on its way
to a child who hasn't even held one
in a childhood almost forgotten?

I know between mathematics
and science
and poetry
I will see the answer
But the child in me
can't help but wonder.

Where do balloons go
If I finally decide to grow?