the girl with kaleidoscope eyes

she stood with the sun in her eyes.

and i could not stop myself from talking to her.

"what are you doing up here, girl with kaleidoscope eyes? what is it that you see?"

she turned her head slowly. purposefully, but nonchalant.

"i see tangerine trees and marmalade skies. cellophane flowers of yellow and green towering over your head. i see a bridge by the fountain where people on rocking horses eat marshmallow pies. i see a world of gold and blue and red."

"but there is nothing here but bricks and mortar. men in suits with files under their arms and papers to their noses. the billowing smoke from trucks and cars. broken windows and leaky hoses."

"you asked me what i saw, and i told you."

i turned to look, too. and slowly, very slowly, a grey fedora turned to red. a rhythmic bob as it is carried away atop a wave of dead commute. a mere trickle amidst a monochrome sea. and with much effort, i thought i could barely comprehend it.

"how beautiful it must be. if only i, too, had kaleidoscope eyes. if only i could be like you."

she blinked. and her eyes sparkled. and with an unwavering honesty, she spoke again.

"why would you want to be like me?"

her voice was faded. and her breath was sore. and with eyes closed, she sighed.

"why would you want to be twice removed from reality?"

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inspired by Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, The Beatles.