Even though I am flanked on both sides by similar scenery, they could not look more different. Sitting on the left side of the train car, I rest my head against my window. The window is huge, and provides an enormous view of the trees as they pass by at 150 miles per hour. I can still pick out detail from this vantage point. Greens, but many yellows, and reds, too. I can see the distinct trees, and the branches themselves. I can see trees in background and foreground, rivers and clearings dividing them. The blue sky above and the afternoon sun illuminating everything clearly. Being up close, even at this speed, I can tell what I'm seeing. A distinct and diverse forest. I turn my head to face the opposite window, and what a difference it makes! The window is so much smaller from this side of the train, and everything passes by in an instant. No longer can I tell that it's a forest with my eyes alone, because all I see is an abstract smattering of colors. The autumnal hues mix together on a conveyor belt canvas painted with a sponge. How interesting my surroundings, one side clear and clean, the other tumultuous and clouded. Both things, in actuality, are the same, but from my windows, the choice between a placid stream and a raging river. I smile at the thought, close my eyes, and let the confluence sing me a lullaby.
---
It's 9 in the morning, but I have all of my living room lights on. The morning feeling never sinks in, the artificial light sterilizing my mentality. I take stock of my banal, brown apartment, bathed in the yellow cascade of a bulb without a cover. The winter coldness seeping in adds another layer of depression. Still, I head over to the single window in the corner of the room. There are no curtains on it, because what would be the point? The apartment used to be the upstairs of a house, hastily converted to a small apartment by a slum lord to double his revenue. My fingertips land precipitously on the decrepit wooden windowsill as I take in my view, which is thus: the vinyl siding of some storage warehouse. There is about four feet of separation between the buildings, a small stone alleyway with weeds creeping out all over the place. My second-story window lets me see the drab, dark beige paneling and nothing else. A disgusting sort-of napkin brown color that must have been chosen for it's cost-effectiveness. The building stretches far enough that it blocks out the sun, except for when it's at it's absolute zenith. I get down on my knees, keeping my fingers on the sill as if hanging for my life, and try to find an angle where I can see the gray winter sky. Hunched there like I lecherous goblin, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. It takes the experience of not being able to see outside in your own apartment to know it must now go on the list of must-haves for the next place. Nothing makes me feel more like I'm in a prison than staring out this window.
---
With nothing else to do, I end up tracing the mortar between the bricks of my cell with my finger again. Eventually it goes where I can't follow, into the recessed window slit. I guessed that the tiny, rectangular window was about 3 feet high and about 4 inches wide, but I had no frame of reference at the time, and I haven't been there in 20 years. The light was as annoying as it was tantalizing, shining a bright, joyful beacon whose brightness held no warmth and only blinded me. Outside was a lush, green field of grass, leading to a large hill on the side of a highway. The angle only allowed me to see the very tops of cars speeding by. I could not hear them, but I imagined I could. I never imagined I'd long for the sound of traffic. Inside I had sterile white walls, a drab grey metal desk with a stool attached, and a drab grey metal bed with an uncomfortable cot. Unwelcoming and blank. My shoulder butted up against the wall awkwardly, and my cheek pressed hard into the recess, the discomfort welcome as long as I could peer outside. Clear blue skies, perhaps a single cloud passing overhead. The cloud made it's speed apparent to me as I locked my eyes on it for an indeterminate amount of time. The occasional glint of sunlight off the roof of a passing car, if I stood just right. The rushing, cool, summer wind, pressing the waves of grass one way, then another. Deeply I stared into the field, noticing patches of dirt, rocks, hills and valleys, distinct features in a normally congruent plain. Viewed through a sliver of glass no wider than my palm. What a view.
---
My alarm goes off for the 3rd time, jarring me awake from a 5 minute snooze. I finally sit up in bed with a groan and start my day, 15 minutes beyond when I wanted to. Every morning I tell myself that snoozing my alarm in these increments doesn't help wake me up, nor does it allow good sleep, yet I do nothing to change it. It's not 7 am yet, and my studio apartment is still dark. I know the layout well enough that I can cautiously make my way around without having to turn on the lights. I put a single cup of coffee on, mostly by feel, and make my way to the bathroom while it brews. By the time I'm done brushing my teeth, the sunrise illuminates my home. A sight I never tire of. I lean against the wall and simply stare at the majesty of the view. The entire north wall of my apartment is glass, welcoming the purple and orange sunrise complexion. I welcome it as well, mentally, with a silent smile and a sip of black coffee. Overcome with a feeling of cosmic intimacy, I walk up to the glass and place my forehead on it. Being on the top floor of my building, 71 stories high, pressed against the window, I am as close to the view as I can reasonably get. Existence is painting a picture. Emotions are snared out of the ether, captured from the essence of the sun, and implanted hard on my brain and in my spirit. My eyes trace lines across skyscapes; imaginary, invisible lines that disappear faster than they never were, yet leave an impression on my conscious. I take a few steps back, directing a movie, aligning the photography of the scene. The confines of my room frame an image from several directions, while imploring me to see everything from a new angle. It's so beautiful I could cry. I check my watch...I'm running late. I have to go to work. This has to stop. I pull myself away from the view with insulting contempt for my job.
---
Lights out is 7 pm, but it's summer so it's still bright out. I have the bottom bunk closest to the door on the right side of the room. Luckily, our pillows are at the side of the bed that lets me look out the entrance of the cabin, which has windows above the door. My bed is made neatly, militaristic, folded to their specifications this morning. Some of the boys still struggle with this, but I like being neat, even if it's forced upon me. It's almost a shame to break the organization of the bed, so I elect to climb under the sheets while they're still tucked and made. This keeps me fairly stationary during sleep, which is reassuring, because I've been told by some of the other kids that I talk in my sleep, and sometimes sit up. I made some friends here, as much as you can under the circumstances. I'm just naturally friendly. I'm one of the first ones into my bed, and they tease me about it. I like to watch the sun go down. I can see the colors of the sky changing, the horizon darkening. I'm so focused on it, I don't notice Roger is yelling at me from across the room. He said it's my turn to sing us to sleep. A joke he has been perpetuating for a few days. Nobody expects me to, because most people don't. I like Roger, though. He's funny. He's two years older than me, seventeen, and he's going to be here for a lot longer than me. It's only been two months for me, but it felt like forever. It feels like I'll never leave. I start singing "Under The Bridge," by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's met with laughter and silence as usual, but I keep going. I'm watching the sky darken, only focused on the colors leaking out of my vista, emptying into the black of space. By the time I get to the chorus, Roger and a few others are singing with me. When we get to outro, the cabin is pandemonium. Half of us are laughing, a few are clapping, a handful are singing, belting, screaming the lyrics. Suddenly the door slams open, letting the now pitch-black into the room. The silhouette of a guard screams at us to be quiet. Some of us try to stifle our giggles as he stares us down. Eventually, all is settled and he leaves. Even in this moment of joy, I wish I was home so badly. I stare at the pure dark of the cabin window until I don't even realize I'm asleep.