you had to be there

All those lit up trees calling me from the side of the highway. Color and glow winding up their naked branches. A forest of illumination and wonder on the grounds of the Tulalip Resort and Casino. Finally someone with an electric bill higher than mine.

You had to be there, though. You had to feel the solitude of rolling down the road well past midnight and stepping out of the warm car and into the freezing night and this coruscating ghost town.

You had to feel the cold crisp air and look up at the moon and stars glowing patiently over these LED wannabes.

You had to wonder and wander and yearn through the landscape. Concoct lines of poetry to describe the experience. Words more profound than

Yeah, it was pretty.
They had an ice rink, too.
It was closed.
It was cold.
Bathrooms were warm, though.

You didn't actually have to be there, though. In fact, it's better that you weren't. If you had been, I would have felt less alone. Less inspired to share the experience with others because I was already sharing it with you.

Come to think of it, I'm glad you weren't there. You probably would have complained about the cold and I would have felt bad. Or worse, you would have made us get a hotel room with toilets and showers instead of letting me rough it roadside. If we'd done it your way we would never have seen this place because by 10PM we'd already be in bed watching free shitty HBO in Motel 6 after wasting money on brown lettuce and rubber chicken fried steak at some chain diner. Thanks to you we would have passed this place in broad daylight the next morning and never have known it existed.

You didn't have to be there.
I'm glad you weren't.
Jerk.

This is my entry for the #monomad challenge, held daily in the Black and White Community.
Give it a try. Just not with me.

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