I’m a thousand miles away from home - but still, it’s everywhere around me. Here, the sky is usually clear, but today…today, the clouds seem to be marching overhead in a strange, nostalgic parade. It’s as if a tribute to my entire life is on display for the whole world to see but I’m the only one who knows it.
Stretched out on my back, I capture sets of clouds from my slanted vantage point and see first the rabbit my aunt gave me for my seventh birthday, then the face of the boy I lost my virginity to in twelfth grade. The two images collapse against each other and I blink my eyes to find a wedding veil flowing in the sky. My right hand moves instinctively to the ring finger of my left. I look down, wait for the tears to crawl back into their ducts, look up again.
The clouds grow darker, overwhelming the sky, sucking out all of the light. I think I see a lightning bolt flash above my head but it’s really an airplane leaving a jagged trail across the looming night. I remember the day he died, and how I couldn’t sleep for days. Didn’t want to eat, or breathe, or even simply try to survive.
Without warning, the canvas overhead brightens, infused with new life. I see my own face in the clouds. I’ve learned how to smile again, and I’m beaming in a theatre filled with passionate applause. The stage is not at all what I expected it to be; my palms aren’t clammy, I’m not restrained. The music and my blood are one and the same. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more free.
It’s truly amazing, all of the things that we’re able to see while not really looking for anything at all.
(word count: 304)
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