Kaleidoscope
A poem by Sheila Wellehan

Kaleidoscope

Friends and family
were forever, sturdy and stable
as my church’s stained-glass windows,
I believed as a child.
But people come and go,
a sequence of shifting shapes
and hues—a kaleidoscope,
whirling patterns and swirling palettes,
tumbling pieces of mirror and tinted glass.
Treasured designs dissolve,
but if you study
the spectrum of reflections,
they can reappear
as the long tube turns
around and around.
They’re never exactly the same.
Maybe they’re a little less beautiful.
Maybe a little more.
Fresh geometries and colors
are the only constants.
Will the next rotation bring
reconciliation or estrangement?
Are new friendships near?
The kaleidoscope spins once again.

About the Author:

Sheila Wellehan’s poetry is featured in On the Seawall, Rust + Moth, Thimble Literary Magazine, Tinderbox Literary Journal, Whale Road Review, and many other publications. She’s an assistant poetry editor for The Night Heron Barks and an associate editor for Ran Off With the Star Bassoon. Sheila lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. You can read her work at www.sheilawellehan.com .

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