Focal Point

A handheld magnifying glass lay angled against a paperback on the living room floor. I knelt down beside the brass rim and peered through the thick convex lens. At first, the wood grain blurred into a pool of amber distortion. I leaned forward two inches, adjusting my line of sight until the focal point snapped into sharp relief. What looked like smooth oak from above turned into a deep canyon of fibrous ridges and microscopic flecks of dust. I slid my hand underneath, watching my knuckles expand into broad, textured ridges under the curved glass. Shifting perspective reveals an entirely different terrain.