when_you_put_on_the_glasses crOwl i watched a sunlit, glossy, magazine photograph come to life, complete with sound. 050201 ... past her family made it through the war intact. despite some close calls, including one close call during a torpedo attack on the north atlantic crossing, all the boys and men made it home safe if not sound. that luck didn't hold during peacetime. as result, the family struggled to survive. the gods played tricks on them, as they are wont to do. once they were rescued from the rising waters of le rivière des prairies by a neighbour who owned a canoe. the twins were swaddled tight and passed carefully through the second story window to awaiting arms. the older children, not old by any means, knew enough to be afraid. scarlet fever, whooping cough, and, in those days before salk's miracle, polio each called on the family in good time. the trials never seemed to end as the family bounced around the west island. but there was always enough money, if not anymore than that. she didn't visit an optometrist until she turned 10. it was a luxury, and really when all you know is what you've always seen, how could she know that trees didn't look like they did in her picture books? to her leaves were a single mass growing on top of trees like a hat. "now don't be too scared when you put the glasses on," the quiet man said with a smile, "but never forget what you see. try to pick something you love and look at that as you place them on for the first time." she loved trees, she loved how they smiled. she loved how they sounded. she loved how her eyes let her see them. but what did they actually look like? her father asked her to close her eyes and then gently placed the glasses on her nose. "open them" he whispered from just behind her. she did. she gasped in amazement. "oh my most wonderful god." 220506 ... epitome of incomprehensibility past, this is great! (My tired mind wants to connect it to tree_parables, except it's not really a parable and glasses are, pardon me, the focal point.) 220507 ... kerry past, seconding e_o_i--this is wonderful. 220508 ... raze i'd like to third that. you've been writing some stunning things. this, "performance_review", "busy_and_bored", and "orders" have all really stuck with me. 220508 ... past thanks all. i was a bit nervous about west island references and which river roxboro abuts, what with eoi being a local and all, i made a few typos. 220509 what's it to you? who go blather from