Looking Through Gauze Curtains

This poem came to me during my recovery from cataract surgery. It’s amazing how much loss we can adjust to if the process is gradual enough. I’ve been looking at the world through gauze curtains Years of indistinct shapes and muted colors. My focus narrowed over time Field of view limited And restricted to the very near. Yet all this changed in one brief hour. The amazing vivid blue Of the fluorescent lights in the recovery room. The experience – for the first time in 50 years Of reading clearly without thick glasses. Literally seeing life through new eyes. So, treasure every moment in the light. Each sensation and opportunity to see The world as it is, without blinders Applied by time or by lessening of oneself To see clearly what is all around you.