asleep, by banana yoshimoto

i love this opening passage from banana yoshimoto's short story, "love songs". maybe it's because it captures so well something i often feel, yet fail to put in words:

"late at night the trees in my garden seemed to shine.
awash in light from the street, the quiet glittering green of the leaves and the deep brown of the trunk seemed startingly vivid.
...each time i looked out on that scenery...i'd be overwhelmed by the unbeleivable purity of those colors, and i'd start feeling as if nothing really mattered, like i wouldn't care at all even if i were to lose everything i had.
this wasn't resignation, or desperation. it was a much more natural form of acceptance, a feeling that arose from a sweep of emotion that was quiet and cool and crystal-clear."