As an ex-member of staff of a primary school which had a visual impairment unit, I am well aware of the incredible abilities of those whose sight is diminished or non-existent. This meditative poem came out of a reading of John 9 and my own thoughts on the treatment of those with visual impairment and our own spiritual blindness

Can You See Him?

Blind from birth,
In an eternal world of nothingness.
A blank canvas,
Virgin white and ebony black

Such a shame
I hear them whisper.
The sins of the father surely;
I don’t need to see to feel the wave of pity.

Yet I see more than you do.
For all your observations
of the world around you;
your visions of the future.

I see your expressions
of joy and regret
through your laughter and tears
and the things that you don’t say
through your silent sighs

I see the bright things of day
in the warmth of the sun
and the darkness of sins
in the cold of the night;
impossible to hide from

I see each note of music
In the vibrations of my body
and see the love of my brothers and sisters
in the touch of skin brushing against mine;
for skin has no colour to me.

I see the vibrant colours of fruits;
colours conjured before my eyes
by their pungent aromas and tingling tastes.
Subtle textures woven into a tapestry
Of nourishment and food for the soul

What are the things that you say you see;
that are hidden from my view?
Behind petty rules and regulations;
underneath a burden of mistrust;
a reliance on your own interpretation

Do you see the baby crying against its mother’s empty breast?

Do you see the old man who sits alone day after day in his high rise flat?

Do you see the sea gull struggling to float on a sea of oil slicks and plastic?

Do you see the businessman lining his pockets whilst his customers sink
deeper and deeper into debt?

Do you see the innocent man who hangs on a cross, who cries out for mercy and forgiveness?

Do you see them? Do you see them?

I see them
because while my eyes may be sightless
my heart has been opened
and is flooded with the light
of the Holy Spirit

It reveals to me
my faults and transgressions,
which I acknowledge
and offer for forgiveness.

I see the Son of Man
and believe in him.
I may be blind to the ways of the world,
but I offer you an insight
of the most wondrous vision;
God’s gift to humankind,
His son, our Lord.

Can you see him? Can you see him?