Bridget Fahey O’Brien
Clairvoyance
Inspiration Piece
What the Girl Sees
By Annmarie Lockhart
Response
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“There’s a girl in New York City, calls herself the human trampoline.”–Paul Simon
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It’s been somewhere between forever and eternity since
I got out from behind the glass wall. But I’ve got this window
on the world of hidden stories and this crystal ball. And I can see
so much further than my legs could take me.
.
I see Joe every morning at 6 in the same black tee. He runs
north. An hour later he walks back, coffee cup in hand and brown-
bagged bagels (maybe half a dozen) under his arm. Later in the day
he walks the dog. And picks up the wine.
.
Sherri is my 9:45 am chime, Monday through Friday. A new outfit
every day. She uses my window as her mirror, twisting and turning
and tugging and I smile my approval. Then she shops. She never
comes back empty-handed; she never brings back groceries.
.
Luis strolls around like he’s got nothing else to do. He’s the arm
across the street for old Mrs. White and the stern-voiced NO for the
always-scrapping Baxter quints. He’s got a wife wasting to nothing
in the hospital and a habit for whiskey that won’t quit.
.
When they walk past I see their faces, when I look in the crystal
I see their souls. I know their lives better than they do. Their stories
bounce off me like bodies on a trampoline … but sometimes
they fly like angels flipping above a trapeze.
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2 Comments
Absolutely brilliant! It is quite disconcerting that a little innocent girl with big blue eyes and snow white hair can know so much.
This is amazing work. I don’t know how you did that photo, Bridget. I love the Paul Simon quote and the response piece. Everything works so well. Yes, I agree with Gracie — brilliant!