are eyes our window from the soul is light

required to make lives whole do these dull

word pictures encapsulate all

fragile minds bestow

they say love makes the blind man see

they say eyes need brisk opening

revelation of

sparse offering

you were the warm soft velvet overtones the worn

and textured cobblestones the world you

described was rhythm

melodic and strong

and we wondered

why was sight analogy

from us you need no remedy

showed us you had no malady

your elegy was song

and in this drafty evening breeze

we feel wind’s reverie in the trees and leaves drift with

their autumn ease 

for this we need no sight to see

here your gentle prudent touch your voice

intoned in tranquil night reminding that we have

enough without turning on the light

Author Description: The poem “they say love makes the blind man see” is based on her personal and clinical experiences with blind and visually impaired individuals and draws from themes of variations in perceived world, reflecting on the differing perspectives of those who are seeing, visually impaired, or blind. It references the frequent failure of society to appreciate the richness of experience, level of confident independence, and ability of those with visual impairments to lead full and contributory lives without an average visual acuity. 

Download a copy of they say love makes the blind man see – Marilee Kneeland

Bio: Marilee Kneeland is a third year medical student at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. She earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in both Microbiology and Cell Biology and Neuroscience from Montana State University. She has been published in The Pharos and Matter and has placed in the AOA annual poetry competition.