1. the stained glass of your chapel
2. stillness and symmetry

On the campus of Wellesley College, where I teach and live, there are two especially magical landmarks: Houghton Chapel, an echoic place of worship studded with a number of mesmerizing stained glass windows, and Waban Lake, on the shores of which is a mysterious topiary garden. At times these places can take on a rather mystical aura; because of the reflectivity of the lake, and the glossy darkness of the chapel windows, I often felt while walking there that I was in a hall of mirrors.

In July of 2017, I walked to these places every day, seeking refuge from an intense summer of work and travel. At times I could hear someone playing from the Galen Stone Tower far above.

This piece is an homage to one of those steamy, strange July days—a portrait of one of my many walks, and my many attempts to transform rumination into meditation.

—Jenny Olivia Johnson; Wellesley, MA; March 2018