Tanya Xavier

Counting Colors

Red. Yellow. Green. Red. Yellow. Green. That makes it just over 100 times that the light has changed since I’ve opened my eyes. I can see the faint reflection in a puddle just a few feet beneath me. Water from a broken pipe drips into the murky puddle. Every five seconds to be exact- momentarily distorting the reflection of the traffic light beyond the rubble. The light seems to pour in from a tiny gap in debris behind me.