If you can see, look ...
from Blindness by Jose Saramago

I.

because I want to know:

my eyes break common 
prisms into scattered light,
gather up the rods into
buckets of blues:

gotta see to know
gotta see to know
gotta know to see.

II.

scaffolds of blues/gallows of light
built on three layers of tissue paper night
fill the cone with spotless second sight understand?

III.

Monochrome blind: one color allowed
Snow blind: white light to excess
Moon blind:  nowhere, nowhere to go/no path to follow

IV.

A man and his vision are one.
Just telling you what I know.

V.
Through:

a glass darkly Hooke’s microscope Galileo’s telescope
Benjamin’s spectacles a keyhole an emerald

a glass of water

VI.

nose smudges on the window    &   anxious steamy breath on glass        magnify the scope of 
hopeful, watchful eyes    waiting earnestly at the window

left to right/right to left   the truth is written in:
dotted permutations       calligraphed characters         code
alpha to omega    on papyrus   rice    wood      stone

trace the shadows with your fingertips your eyes  your lips

VII.
Big Mama was a seer.  Born that way.  Always knowing.  Could see the bitter winter 
coming, in the glow of the firefly.  Fish in her dreams, could see sons and daughters
in their mother’s eyes.  She saw sickness before it come, in the color of skin and nails.  
Big Mama was a seer.  Saw Death walking up the path.  Went right on out to meet it. 

VIII.

Seeing has a lucid, inescapable rhythm: 

the drum of fingernails on a wooden table,    a syncopated alternating heel and palm pound
a deeply held stare that bores /deeper down/   with each heartbeat with each swell of breath
the rhythm births a dance   the sway of inspection/introspection      a slow chin tilt
an eyebrow pinch          lifted gaze/ lowered gaze     the understanding nod 

IX.

There is no such thing as out of sight.
What has been seen cannot be
Unseen.

X.

Epiphany ensues
Peek-a-boo
when vision is clear.
Hide and Seek
The Bards of Old understood
I Spy
and philosophized
with my own eye.

XI.

Even the blind see in taps and touch.  They do not fear the shadows’ assault.
Their ears grow wise noses discern tongues taste         tears on the air.  
Take care.   They can’t be fooled.

XII.

Light floods in a constant stream.  Even in darkness, light finds its way.

XIII.

Old folks call kids nosy
[but they smile inside when they say it]
cause nosy kids grow
see look know.