When the clouds no longer cut the sky with their serrated edge

When cars of meticulous design become sounds that rumble by

When the streetlights shine halos, not of the angelic kind

When faces I cherish, I understand, become mere memories

The temporary darkness of winter seems not so temporary anymore

Download a copy of Sight – Sheel R. Patel

Bio: Sheel R. Patel is a 3rd year medical student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He enjoys photography, especially in capturing daily experiences that often go unnoticed. He hopes to continue this hobby throughout his medical career and finds Ophthalmology and its visual nature to be an excellent outlet for future artistic expression. This poem and photograph were inspired by a particularly moving experience he had while doing an Ophthalmology rotation at Montefiore Medical Center, as a patient detailed his progressive vision loss. It was an experience that showed the impact vision loss has on one’s quality of life and how easy it can be to take our sight for granted.