sleeping but not dreaming...

walking. past clouds made of laughter. they let out a ripple of golden giggles as i brush my fingertips across them. the sky breathes a sigh and rolls over and away dragging a gilt trail of burst smiles with it.

i turn away from the receding skyline. my hands are speckled with the remnants of laughter. i wipe them on my jeans and continue walking.

the ground undulates like the surface of a lake. radiating away from each of my footsteps. wave after wave of spring grass rush away towards an unseen shore.

i feel a lightness. air. i bend my knees. lift my chin. i leap upwards and gain momentum. i sing a chorus of nonsensical words. i watch as the song escapes my lips and wraps me in a warm updraft of air. carrying me higher and farther.

in the distance on a hill, a mirror reflects my flying self. i watch as i land. pirouette. and peer catlike into it's smoothness.

my mirror self looks upwards and meets my gaze. she glances down the length of her body. an arched brow dares me to do the same. i step closer. eye to eye. the mirrors frame expands until we stand face to face with no discernible borders.

her eyes skip across my body. i watch as she appraises me. my brow arches and i look down.

i am startled to notice the jagged edges. my body is halved. my female curves replaced with coves and peninsulas. one legged. one armed. a puzzle half finished. the mirror self smirks self indulgently. she turns and begins to walk away.

i feel a tear race along my cheek. following the gentle slope. before falling slowly down to the ground. the placid surface of the hill erupts in tidal waves as my pain travels outward. my mirror self is halted mid stride. she turns. horrified. she raises her hand in an arrow pointed behind me. before the waves hit her. she shatters into a hail of crystal shards. each piece of my mirror self melts back to tears. and she is swallowed by the thirsty earth.

i turn sadly. behind me. to where she pointed. my eyes are heavy with loneliness.

on the horizon. climbing my hill. a half finished figure. reaches the apex. brushes the tears from my eyes and pulls me closer. i hear the laughter of the clouds. i feel their golden warmth. i raise my eyes into deep blue. his smile is whole. and i wake.

...

i wake. whole. and happy.