Seeing

Years ago now, I met this woman.  This was the sum total of her answer to How are you? I*m blind (she would say).  She was not born blind, it came on her later in life.  I never learned the story of how she became blind.  I, like many others, did all I could to move her in what I thought was a more positive direction.  It is probably not a surprise that I found myself thinking of her this morning, after exercising at the gym, and losing sight of the trainer.  Exercise causes both eyes to go blurry.  Now I have to tell people that they need to tell me if they*re going across the room, especially in a crowd of people.  I may lose track of them, not because I don*t care, but simply because I don*t see them.  Ah, pride.  I have new appreciation for beginning the conversation with I*m blind.  Of course, I do my best not to stop there.

Whenever anyone asked her

How she was,

She would answer

I*m blind

As if that summed it up.

We used to laugh

About her response.

She was, after all, so much more

Than her blindness.

Now I look through shimmer and blur

With one eye.

I am not blind,

Not even close,

But these are times

I better understand her answer,

So many years later.

There is much that comes

With the shimmer and blur.

Now I see in different ways,

Not better

Not worse

But different.

I see a halo and sparkle

In particular light,

I see the world

As through a drop of water.

The doctors cannot explain it,

But then

I really did not expect them

To explain it.

I*m blind

She said.

I*m blind.

I know a tiny bit

Of what she meant.