Perspective and Perpetual Distraction

What do you feel, when you look out

of a clear window -- a glass door -- 

and the moon is suspended low in the sky:

             orange hazed face coaxing

            sunset to an abrupt crescendo?

 

For me it is only a flash in time -- a snapshot --

that becomes a memory, as quickly as it was real:

            filed away under experience,

            or the heading of future imagery.

 

Sometimes I worry that I cannot love a thing deeply enough,

because I see a wicker basket of details in everything --

 

            faces are fragments of expression, Willows are inkblots

            upon twilight’s feathered seam, the curvature of night is 

            an opaque curtain embellished with backlit diamonds.

 

For just one day I want to borrow your eyes --

to see the world from the other side -- with perspective -- 

blind to everything except what reads as a whole:

            I want to see only purple,

            not varying degrees of mulberry and wine.

 

Reviews

[Nami Machae]

A very nice poem. The flow was really nice and the imagry was clear. KEEP IT UP!

[Hatchling]

Love it!!! Keep up the great work

[MsJewel]

Poets do see simple things a bit differently than most, but I believe we can see the beauty in the simpliest things... perhaps perspective is overrated...besides I love mulberry and wine..and this poem. :) Julie

[SteveB]

A very intriquing read. Is it a blessing or a curse to see too clearly? A blessing or a curse to hear too much, to know too much, to feel too much?

You painted a magnificent picture here and the images pop out. I particularly enjoyed the "curvature of night". Striking.

[Clara]

I think the ending was just so great.

For just one day I want to borrow your eyes --
to see the world from the other side -- with perspective --
blind to everything except what reads as a whole:
I want to see only purple,
not varying degrees of mulberry and wine.

You want to see big picture and wonder if the varying details really matter?
I think they do, and this poem is why.

[Astro]

This piece is another thought provoking one, for it begs the question, "Do any of us truly see?". I thought it odd that you would mentally file away visions of spectacular cosmic realities under "future imagery" when it occurs in the present. I can understand the filing it under "experience" though. I think we all do that sort of thing. So then, do we truly see? If one truly sees, does that mean we all truly see? It reminds me of a quote I once heard (believe it was Einsteins but not sure) where he was explaining the difference between reality and appearance. A pane of glass looks smooth by appearance but under a microscope we could see that it is very coarse. Yet you and I would agree that the glass looks smooth. So by that measure, seeing through the eyes of another person, wouldn't allow you to see purple if both of you are looking at mulberry and wine but....if you change your perspective you might find the purple you are looking for. I'm not saying that that is what was meant by the quote, it's just my spin on it. If two people are looking at a zebra and one says it is black with white stripes and the other says it is white with black stripes who is right? Neither, both, or is it a matter of faith? I think perception holds mystery and there is something beautiful in the fact that we can both perceive things similarly and differently as well. You see what I mean by thought provoking? lol. *incidentally, there was a recent study done where two individuals were in separate rooms hooked up to a system that allowed one person to move the hand of the other independently. So to see through someone else's eyes may soon be a reality* O.k. I'll stop now. Good write Sarah. Ramble ramble.

[K. Louis]

Sarah!

This was truly a beautiful and honest write. I really enjoyed it.

Those three stanza's in the middle where you dissect the details and find inspiration everywhere..and then worry about not loving something deep enough...that was really great. I think many writers can certainly relate to that...
and the way you tied it up in the end, perfect. I could see into your head and it's a really charming place to be. Well done.

[Richard]

it's so good Sarah :)
really a gem - as always :)

[TL Boehm]

but purple IS varying degrees of mulberry and wine. I love the layered effect of this. On the surface there is that desire to be simple, clean and uncluttered - almost childlike but it goes a just a little deeper. While the voice in this piece is so busy making that purple so vibrant it causes the reader to tear up with the brilliance - the voice for once seems to just ache to experience - and not "create" I am often a ticker of tasks and because of that - I don't just stop and "be" and per haps I am superimposing myself on this piece. But I'm a girl so when I read this I saw so much more than eight colors in the crayola box. I saw the soul aching to simply color with the crayon....

[Jack...]

I think what you will find my friend is a very boring world through the eyes you request to borrow. Everything in place, nothing special, oceans are merely water and a sand beach, a garden is someone else's problem to weed and care for, a winding pathway through the forest is dirt and rocks and too much trouble to even think about. Enjoy your eyes my friend, for they see what other's can not, they see things as they truly are, not what they are expected to be. Very nicely done Sarah