To The Mis-seeing of Things Both Near and Far

I have learned to wait several seconds before I greet someone; I’ve waved at many strangers with great enthusiasm. I hope I made their day a little brighter.

At a bar once, I handed the door man the $10 cover charge and he looked at me and back down at my hand. And back at me. I was handing him a maxi pad, pressing it into his palm.

I’ve mistaken a person for a horse--twice.

I’ve mis-seen a lot, but I never invested in them.

The dress fits perfectly, brown with pink abstract flowers. At $12 on clearance, it’s a steal. She has mauve shoes to match. The flowers aren’t frilly, no 1980’s cabbage roses. They are sleek, sharp, artistic flowers.

At home, she’s hanging it in the closet when her daughter runs in the room. She takes one look at the dress and says, “Kittens!” She looks again and they call come into focus. A cat-print dress.

Source: http://www.catster.com/cat-chic/ann-taylor-loft-kitten-dress

 She loves animals. But not enough to wear on a dress. Not pink and mauve kittens. Not when they should be flowers. She’s a professional. She counsels patients in a nursing home. She holds their sons’ and daughters’ hands and speaks in low tones. She’s not kitten dress.

 

Still, she wears it. She tells herself they are flowers. When she passes by the mirror in the women’s room, she doesn’t focus, so in the blur, they are what she wants them to be. Pink little mistaken kitten flowers.

I take it as a personal challenge that when the day comes I mistake dogs for diamonds or birds for paislies, I will buy it. I’ll wear it the way she does. And tell everyone to lighten the fuck up.