The Sight You Choose
Your eyes are flawed.
One functions
One does not.
The seeing eye works overtime,
seeing too vividly,
too kindly,
too much beauty.
It is perhaps
a beautiful lie,
but it is at least,
the lie you chose.
About this poem.
The plaque in the picture is on the entry hall wall at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s house. It is a quote from a book she wrote about decorating. She is talking about decorating in the quote, of course, but I think the words apply to the way we see life, and things and people.
I really am blind in one eye.
I tend to see life through rose-colored glasses, despite my depression. It takes a little work sometimes, but it works for me.
From all those things, this poem.
Tom
I love this poem and your thoughts on it as it reminds me of my sister who passed away.
She also was blind in one eye.( she lost the sight in one of her eyes when she was 8 due to an eye infection and lost the color too( it turned a strange shade of yellow and she had blue eyes, she had to wait till she was about 14 to get a glass eye and it matched her other eye quite well but she was teased about her blind eye by cruel kids and it was hard for her to bear. )
My sister always saw the beauty in life up to her last days on earth.
What memories! She sounds like a special soul.
Probably a lot like you, Tom