Tulips and kaleidoscopes

Rows of reds and deep purples come up from the distance.

In the car I can see them.

So neatly arranged row by row.

I hover from the road.

Waiting to catch a small fragment of the saturated colors.

But from my vantage point I have a compromised view.

I move slightly in my seat, gently holding the camera.

And then, within a split second,

The blur of color passes before me.

So quickly it’s over,

Captured by my own hand on a rainy Sunday.

Painted perfectly in my minds eye.

Moments later I recall the kaleidoscope on my shelf.

The one made by my mother’s hands.

The one I use to regard the sun

when my world spins away from me.

With the smallest turn

colors break and divide

allowing me to revel

momentarily

at the view from the other side.

Week 14. Perspectives.

This past week was spring break and I decided to visit my brother and sister in law who live in Seattle. On the first day of my trip we drove to the ferry and traveled across the Puget Sound to explore an island nearby. While driving on the island we spotted massive fields of tulips, which are grown in abundance in this region and especially during the Easter season.

During my trip I noticed could not completely ease into letting go of all my thoughts from home. I’ve spent so many years wandering around places, living in various cities; I figured wandering would come easy since it has always been in my nature. Anyway, this strange uneasiness was there to teach me something and I began to consider maybe it had something to do with perspective.

After I saw the tulips from the road, I thought about being able to see things from far away as well as from close up. I thought about how we need to change things at times in order to see another viewpoint. As I began to consider these ideas I was somehow reminded of a kaleidoscope I have at home. It is one that my mother made from colorful glass pieces years ago. Whenever I look though it I think about how the slightest movement can show you something you never saw before. I try to look through it at times when my world seems to dwell on the details. When tiny meanings that get lost between people or when my fears seems to handicap my mind. Maybe perspective can be the antidote to all that? The hardest part is that sometimes we need to let hours, days or even years pass in order to gain that perspective. This leads me to think that time is a magnificent tool in seeking perspective, just like a kaleidoscope.