from: Dancing Over the Rays of Light

Above me, there was a ceiling plastered with thousands of pieces of faux popcorn. Surrounding me were four beige walls. On one of these walls hung a portrait of Jesus with shoulder-length hair, a well-trimmed beard, an earnest gaze, a long, handsome, shining face, and a head surrounded by a nimbus. A window looked out upon an outside world decorated with trees. In the distance, I saw a parking lot. Below me, a faux gold carpet appeared to have been carved out by some mediocre sculptor. A bedside clock of inferior quality appeared to be abuzz with the reminder that it was past six o’clock and time to rise.