Poem on Vision Loss

Someone Asked Me
By Ann Chiappetta


She humbled herself,
Massaged our hands and feet, taught
Us reflexology, aromatherapy, Yoga

I am a good student, recording my physiological history from
Birth to the present, as if
It mattered To anyone else but me.

What she didn’t know was that I was paralyzed with fear
Unable to move forward, stuck.

She asked me,
What’s holding you back?
As she rubbed lemon and lavender extract into my skin.
Funny, I thought, she sees only what’s strapping me down, not
How far I’ve come,
So I shrugged.
Was she judging me, this Dark One,
This woman who relieved high blood pressure with acupuncture?

What’s holding you back?
This time I got insulted and said,
If going blind means anything, I guess that would be it.

She kept silent and we finished, my frustration flowing out with
The dirty foot bath water.

Years later, I ran into her. I could tell
She scrutinized me. I’d gained weight,
walked with a white cane,
I battled Depression.

Small talk subsiding, she asked,
What happened? You were doing so well.

I shrugged, made eye contact even though I couldn’t even see her face.

I pointed to my white cane, saying,
Going blind sucks.

She said nothing
She did nothing. She acknowledged it not at all.

5/2011