Nothing seems more magical

to a child

than to spend

some hours

with a kaleidoscope.

 

Endless magical scenes

unfold as the colors

roll and twist and dissolve

one into another.

 

There may once have been

a purpose for them,

but now we only know

them as children’s toys

 

that adults will sneak away

and play with themselves

until they are caught and

must give it back.

 

The effortless blending

of colors relaxes the mind

the way we now use white noise

or fly over undulating landscapes.

 

Somewhere I have

a beautiful kaleidoscope

I bought for myself. Smooth

wooden stand and brass wheel.

 

To use it today brings back

memories of the caves

full of rubies, sapphires and diamonds

I read in “The White Cat”,

 

In a slower time,

at a leisurely pace

that didn’t have to end

until I wanted it to.