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Fluffy pink unicorns dance on rainbows
while long-lashed dogs wear flowers like fur.
Soft green Yoda-lights sway overhead,
framing my second-story window
where moonlight spills onto the bed,
silver-casting quiet shadows.
I drift,
carried across a calm sea of sleep.
At dawn, I wake in a brighter room—
its sharp light hums like a secret.
A blue shark swims
across a storm-tossed whiteboard
before the bed floats gently down
a river of tile.
Magic doors open, a deep breath,
and then—nothing.
Quieter than dreams,
deeper than memory.
When I surface again,
the curtains sway, soft as whispers,
their patterns slip through the mind-haze.
Family waits, voices steady, smiling
as I slowly return to my body.
A kind nurse guides me to the chair.
Its wheels sing toward the elevator,
to the car,
and then,
Home.
Whole again,
though I never truly fell apart.
Stargazing Cat on a Beach at Midnight
Phoebe Allison, age 11, and her father, Nick, wrote "Magic Doors" as a chain poem, creating it line by line to tell the story of three rooms: her bedroom the night before her surgery, the pre-op room, and the recovery room afterward. The poem reflects their shared journey through uncertainty and resilience, capturing their bond and their hope to bring light to others navigating challenging moments. They live in Austin, Texas, where they enjoy creating art together. Another of their collaborative pieces, "Mad Dark Winter Sky," can be found on Nick’s poetry site, https://thetruthabouttigers.com/2024/02/03/mad-dark-winter-sky/.