I can feel you

in the air,

swirling,

breathtaking,

magical

and sweet

but I can’t see you

with these sad eyes

that can sense nothing

beyond normalcy

though when I close

those very eyes

there’s flashes of

bright colors

from lavender

to indigo

from black

to white

and every shade

of gray

in between

you exist

a mythical being

you exist

a breath of fresh hair

you exist

a double rainbow

...

When I was a young girl happiness evaded me

A glimmer of hope from my mom as she celebrated even the hint of a smile formed on my lips

She saw the pain in my eyes when again I’d failed which I’m afraid was often.

I couldn’t integrate incoming information into memories

Happiness evades me

When I was a feisty teenager happiness evaded me

My mother held her head down when we were in close quarters

...

Fantastical things,

With wings and scales and twin horns,

Come alive with ink....

Carly Mason stood outside her favorite coffee shop, just leaving with coffee in her gloved hands. She shivered slightly as a harsh, bitter breeze swept past her. She took a sip of the warm coffee that had been warming her hands and smiled.

She began walking back to her apartment after a long day of working at a high school as a substitute teacher—that’s what the coffee’s for.

Living in New Yor...