Kaleidoscope

I hold my new kaleidoscope up to the light.  I am five years old, and it’s snowing outside on Christmas morning, like it never does anymore.  Well-kempt lawns throughout my neighborhood lie blanketed in white.  I turn the soft cardboard slowly to reveal the fragmented shadows of brilliant blues, reds, purples, and greens.  I long…

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Hold On Tight

Floating alone with my life preserver in the middle of rippling black water, I feel the whole world slow down. I push wet hair out of my eyes and watch the scene in front of me as if through a TV screen. The sound of the boat’s engine and the touch of the waves slapping…

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