Macular Degeneration

The eye is the jewel of the body. - Thoreau

spectacular

macular

a vision of ethereal pulchritude

i first witnessed you in the stylus of my eye

coloring the iris of sweet love

engaged with a concentric ring of saturn

the more i peeled off your alliaceous layers

the more you burned

now all i do is cry

Author's Note

“The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us. Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star.” - Thoreau

Reviews

[Vicki T.]

Pete,
Your poem has personal ties to me. I have md and I feel the loss of vision every day. I like the compactness, if that’s a word, of your poem. I also learned two new words from reading it. Keep writing. Your ability to place words in the right places is phenomenal. I look forward to more.

[Pete]

i'm so sorry. six years ago i almost died from an infection. they removed my spleen and after more than a month of intravenous antibiotics went into heart failure and they put in an artificial mitral valve (another month in the hospital). while in the hospital they gave me a blood thinner that i turned out to be allergic to - it caused clots all over my body. hands, arms and legs all swelled to more than twice their normal size. i still have one in my left leg that never did go away - leg swells up every day but i am able to live with it. i know that it is little consolation to you but when one door closes (so to speak) another opens. hang in there. you will find inner strength you never knew you had. best ... :)

[Vicki T.]

Losing my vision is hard but nothing compared to heart issues. My son is 27 and has had 5 open heart surgeries. The fourth one gave him an artificial aorta. He’s been on blood thinners since then which was difficult. He had a stroke at age 19. Prayers and thoughts to you. Thanks for being in the cafe.

[Pete]

!!!! ... :)

[barleygirl]

This poem is a tribute to the artwork that accompanies it, as well as to uncommon words & last but not least to sufferers of MD. I'm so humbled to read Vicki's review, I feel anything I might say would feel flippant & uninformed. All I can say is, I'm in a wheelchair most of my day & I thank God all the time that I still have full use of my eyes & hands. Happy new year! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Pete]

i'd be willing to bet that limited mobility has sharpened other aspects of your life. living with infirmities reveals inner strength and feelings that many lack. i know it may not feel like it but in a weird way it can be a mixed blessing.

am reminded of what the man who lost his legs in a war said, "I added years to my life by not having to spend time tying my shoes every day."

i curse every time i have to bend down and tie mine. it's all in how we look at things. happy new year! ... :)

... :)