Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Myopia



MYOPIA
( I wasn't THAT grateful! I had a cataract operation shortly after I wrote this!)

I stand on the balcony at night;
A moonlit night of a billion stars.

All things are crisp, outlined,
Solid and picturesque, neat and orderly;
Everything in its appointed place.
Houses, trees, pathways and the horizon beyond
Cut out in cardboard.
I am entranced.
Such beauty!

Suddenly a moth invades my hair!
I flurry my hand across my face!
My glasses fly off the balcony, to be lost in shrubs below!
I am, for a second, bewildered, disoriented,
Enmeshed in white light.
I cannot see!
Then, magically, I see!

My eyes become accustomed to glory.
I am a swimmer
Swimming through pale swathes of liquid luminosity.
Each star is a huge white chrysanthemum.
The multitudes fudge and fuzz and seem to fuse.

Below me, pale green billows
Disappear into the mist, dancing.
My eyes widen; my fingers splay with longing.
I feel bleached, like a skull.
Tendrils of hair are silvered against the immensity of sky,
So close that I can see them clearly.

I am drawn up
Toward the puff ball cloudiness of a new moon,
That is, indeed, a brand new moon,
One never seen before by these eyes.
Limpid lispings of light spiral down to me.
The light is like white wine, spilling over my face;
Sweet, exotic, tasting of starlight.

And I say a heathen prayer of gratitude
To that obscure goddess, Myopia.
She of the semi-sight has given me a vision.
*

43 comments:

Kat said...

Oh sweet Goddess Myopia... Thank you. In very line in this poem.... I was made to travel and see the glory of outer space.. until I put on my Spex..!!!

Darlene said...

Since I have myopia I know how a star can appear to be a Chrysanthemum and how the moon can appear to be sending out rays of light. Such a lovely way of describing the way the sky looks without glasses when you are near sighted. Thank you for giving me a new, and poetic, way of looking at my poor vision.

Anonymous said...

Wow, you just described what happens to me when I drive at night. Always saw it as a distraction and never thought to take it in until now. Things are different when the lens is changed. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

You've written about gratitude for the gift of sight, in whatever form it comes, and that has to be a good response.

When can we look forward to the post cataract op sequel?

Emmanuel Ibok said...

Well written,

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

I love it, made me think of a line I remember from Sound of Music - something like: the lord never closes a door but he opens a window somewhere. Even temporary loss of sightedness can bring vision of a different sort, transforming the world we thought we knew. Your poem conveys the richness of this new vision beautifully.

Amanda Moore said...

Rinkly this is beautiful but I read the part about the eye surgery first so when I read the Hymn every time is came to a part about seeing something I had to giggle I kept thinking you must see it so much better now. When I got to the end "She of the semi-sight has given me a vision." I had to laugh out loud. Now as I said before this is very lovely but I had to see the humor in it as well!

barbara said...

Ah, yes. Those visions are the lemonade. I got my first glasses when I was ten, so I have experienced a number of those.
Of course that cataract surgery was another revelation.

Wayne Pitchko said...

nicely done indeed....thanks for sharing this

EG CameraGirl said...

AH yes, my world is decidedly different when I'm not wearing glasses.

Judie said...

I have a cataract in one eye. Everything is fuzzy and cloudy. It gives one a different perspective on the world around you!

Unknown said...

I just was found to be needing bifocals. Things are getting blurrier and blurrier.

Sue McPeak said...

Well, done! Only one who has experienced myopia could write such a vivid experience of knocking of your glasses and all that happens in the aftermath. Very creative poem and interesting Letter M post!

Teresa said...

What a great description. I really love your poetry.

Gattina said...

I'll take off my glasses immediately next time I see the moon !

Theresa Plas said...

Beautifully written!

Susan Anderson said...

This is really a creative poem and a wonderful way to describe myopia.

Sadly, my myopia is so bad that I can't even see the chrysanthemum stars or the puff ball moon without my specs.

But I can imagine exactly what you see, because all I have to do is look at anything that's not five inches from my face and I experience the same lovely visions.

I find it soothing sometimes to sit without my glasses on...but I would never want to try to navigate a room without them!

=)

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

I'm going to go outside and look at the moon without my glasses tonight! Unless it's really really cold.

Sigh..

Jenny said...

I couldn't see anything without my glasses...but I like the idea of seeing through your eyes...

I'm glad your cataract surgery went well...that sounds sort of scary.

Although I loved all your word crafting here, I was particular enchanted by this little phrase, "liquid luminosity".

I have it written on my idea board...not sure what is going to happen with it, but it sounds so wonderful to say out loud!

Thanks for a magnificent link to Alphabe-Thursday this week.

You have outdone yourself.

A+

Flying Monkey said...

I really enjoyed this :-)

RJ Clarken said...

How impossibly beautiful, I always thought clarity was looking through my corrective lenses, It's not.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." -Antoine de Saint Exupery.

I think you and he would have been friends.

Reflections said...

Beautifully expressed. Always a joy to hear someone describe experiences of sight, freshly lifted, awe at the new interpretation of truly seeing what has always been there. Very inspirational.

Elizabeth said...

I love taking off my glasses on a sunny day near water. It's a whole new definition of the word light. Disorienting yes, but a very different world.

Elizabeth

Dave King said...

I flurry my hand across my face!

For me that had the smack of a line not contrived, but "given". It allowed the poem to take off and for one habitat to slide into another. A fine poem.

Judie said...

Well I just had both my eyes done. The moon no longer looks like a giant cotton ball in the sky. Isn't it amazing????

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

creative.

Anonymous said...

I can see clearly thru every wonderful discript word, WOW, Love this.
~Jo
LazyonLoblolly

La said...

M is for Magnificent.

Teresa said...

What a great poem! Myopia, the goddess, allowing you to see the moon. Love the fancy of the poem.

Kiddothings said...

You're so creative with this piece - a tribute to Myopia. Love it.

Theresa Plas said...

I thought I remembered this one...still think it's lovely.

The Poet said...

WoW! I love the vivid creativity of this piece.

A wonderful "M" theme.

Thanks for sharing.

Lisa H. said...

Food for thought. This poem reminds me that we need to take into consideration how another person sees or perceives a situation because you can both be looking at the same thing and describe it completely differently.

jfb57 said...

It is lovely to read poetry. Thank you for sharing!

Pat said...

Thinking I will move my cataract surgery up sooner than planned! What a gifted poet you are.
Last night with the full moon and the sky so clear, it still looked like lines of light extending from the moon in four directions to form the classic Native American symbol...

Unknown said...

Being that I've worn glasses since the 5th grade & can't see much without them... I feel the wonderment of this write:-) It's great!

Unknown said...

What a wonderful poem! I can totally picture the scenery through your words. I even laughed a little when the moth appeared and caused that momentary panic. I know I would totally do the same thing if a moth came at me while I was enjoying the evening sky.

You have such an amazing gift with words :) Thanks for sharing such a beautiful poem and reminding me how wonderful it is to be able to see even if the world is a little fuzzy without my glasses :)

Splendid Little Stars said...

Limpid lispings of light...
beautiful poem!
gorgeous!
I love your imagery!
The accompanying photo is perfect.
glad your surgery went well.

VBR said...

Sweet Goddess Myopia! Love it. Great M post.

Lmkazmierczak said...

Always the positive outlook♫ Great post!

anitamombanita said...

Cool poem and I hope that your vision is truly improved post surgery. I had a similar experience with the moth in the hair...I went to swat it away and accidentally tossed my cell phone which shattered into pieces...ugh! :)

Cheryl D. said...

Great poem! I would have panicked beyond belief in that situation!

Jenny said...

I'm not a fan of moths.

Shudder.

I am a fan of your magnificent writing though.

I loved reading this again!

But I'm still scared of the moth!

Thanks for linking.

A+