Night would start to fall upon the forest.

My young self would peer nervously from the campfire outside the family trailer.

Trees looked different in the dark and hollows became gaping mouths or staring eyes.

Worse still, was that tree someone had glued large plastic eyes to.

Probably as a joke but not funny to a small child.

A kid that saw that tree as a very different kind of existence in the dark no matter what parents said.

***

I never knew what the tree with eyes was thinking.

It seemed to look at me with intentions I could not hope to understand.

Not tree like but definitely not the same as me.

Wrong in appearance to the point my hair would stand on end.

Dangerous in some way I only understood and all the adults missed.

A being I could hide from sight but was constantly aware of.

***

It never seemed to leave me alone.

However something magical would always happen.

I would go inside for the night, day would come and I would see the tree in a different light.

It would appear still as strange but less intimidating.

My family would rib me about being scared of such a goofy thing and I would go about my day forgetting about the fear.

As I became familiar with it over time with the tree’s unblinking eyes, I even lost the fear at night.

***

Over time I have seen my reaction towards the tree with eyes from a different perspective.

I have witnessed the recoil and same recognition of being other.

I remain like that tree and see it all and remain still.

I remain still because I know like the tree the reaction is not permanent.

I sit and remain as I am.

Waiting for them to simply turn on the light.