Enlightened

14/10/09

Enlightened by Elspeth Brown

Elspeth Brown, a member of Scottish PEN, writes poetry, plays and short stories. Her collected poems, 'A Crab in the Moon's Mouth', has just been published by 'Markings.'

Now in Dunbar she is working on a series of poems about the ecologist John Muir who was born there.

Enlightened

For Alma who still works part time, makes beautiful jewellery, and is supportive and encouraging to her family, grandchildren and friends.

I am not from the blind world
not yet, for dark can fall by chance.
You say you have friends from both worlds,
blind and sighted.
Are we worlds apart?
Words link us, we talk for hours,
you aware when I am distracted
by a silent bird, the shape of a tree,
I return to orbit your unbroken
focus. Yet you write as if you see,
though you have not seen for fifty years;
your final darkening view a cat in an ochre aura,
a dying sun's last rays as you spun terrifyingly
into a black hole. Yet you quickly learnt
to guide yourself by touched landmarks,
bumps at road crossings. Your stick
rolls confidently from side to side
feeling the edge of things,
you try to keep your balance
in both worlds,
appreciating by touch and sound
brain honed nuances and tone.
You write, read, absorb radio,
feel fluff in the sink turn into a spider.
At home in both worlds, yet knowing your loss,
you roll your white stick round the world's edge.

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