Halcyon.

I had a bad dream. My heart ached. Again. And as is habit, I needed open space and fresh air, room to breathe.

The timing was perfect. I stepped outside and gazed upwards. A few minutes later, as my insides left the turbulent ocean and entered the calm pool, wispy strands of cirrocumulus crept across the sky. The tendrils became white matted cotton. Thicker and thicker, dark spots colored the bubbles, filling them with the promise of rain. Thicker and thicker, it ate up Orion and then his dog. The image of the moon shining through the clouds, situated uncomfortably on the horns of Taurus, looked like a screen shot from one of my all-time favorite movies, The Fountain, and I felt ever more peaceful.

Soon, the whole night sky was covered.

It had been initially transparent. Pure. Distinct. Unobstructed. Free.

I turned and walked back inside, carrying a piece of freedom with me.