tunnel vision

**Edited Version**

this time, the assignment was to look out a window for ten minutes, then write about what you remember seeing for the next ten. critique.

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In stillness, movement captivates.

The leaves on a neighbor’s tree wave gently in the soft breeze. An ant makes its way across the porch tiles. Another ant, a little further away, heads in the opposite direction. The wind picks up – branches sway, a dead leaf glides gently to the ground. Outside, a red and white taxi passes by. The curtain waves, and the scene is momentarily viewed from behind a haze of gold. A butterfly with black and yellow wings flits from a plant to another, its wings fluttering steadily. Outside now, a blue car. Sunlight is dimmed by a passing cloud and everything turns a shade darker. There is another butterfly. A woman with large, black sunglasses and a fuchsia-colored headscarf walks by. The palm tree casts a shadow on the grass beneath it. The passing cloud is gone, and everything is bright again.

In movement, stillness captivates. Vibrant colors are everywhere. The light green of the blades of grass. The pink of a hibiscus. The deep purple of large leaves. The white of small flowers. The grey of stepping stones.

Sounds are everywhere. The drone of football news that almost drowns out the trickling water from an indoor fountain. The chirping of a bird. A phone rings. One-sided conversation.