[stylist] Rainbow response- lamenting sight

Sat Apr 6 21:19:45 UTC 2013

Amen,
Donna 

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit
Pollpeter
Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2013 3:37 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Rainbow response- lamenting sight

Lynda,

I understand what you say. I like being able to control things, so it sucks
that I require assistant for shopping, decorating, initial organizing, etc.
Technology is making some of this easier, but for those of us who once could
see, it's just not as nice.

This doesn't mean we can't do things nonvisually or that it becomes
incredibly difficult. But I hate relying on others to determine color and
style and product. I will usually know exactly what I want, and will
describe it to the best of my abilities, but ultimately, I have to trust the
judgment of others.

And I don't think it's wrong to admit any of this. Like Lynda, I will
probably never bask in the glory of blindness, but this doesn't mean I'm
sitting at home depressed, thinking I can't do anything.

It's been 10 years for me, and I'm just now beginning to miss my sight in
ways I never did before. It started once Declan was born. I just want to see
my baby, his expressions, his movements. He crawled for the first time last
night, and I had to place my hand on his back to experience it. This doesn't
lessen exhilaration I feel, but it would still be nice to actually see it.
He smiles all the time, and somehow, I know when he's smiling, but
nonetheless, I want to freaking see it. If this makes me a *bad person,*
well... I don't think that's my problem to deal with.

Having said all this, I'm making my life what I want it to be. Nothing,
blindness included, is getting in my way. I was told I would never have a
biological child, and now I'm enjoying all the firsts with my baby boy. I
say F U to all those who push us down and stifle us no matter the topic or
reason.

We are allowed to feel what we feel and reach understanding in our own time.
We are certainly allowed to miss our vision. This isn't a reflection on our
attitude towards blindness itself. This seems to be something so many blind
people have a difficult time separating; the lamenting of sight and the
attitude one takes towards blindness. I can be independent and positive and
still miss the convenience of my vision.

Bridgit

Message: 5
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 18:19:43 -0400
From: "Lynda Lambert" <llambert at zoominternet.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] color/rainbow prompt response
Message-ID: <78707F5DA17A4563ADAE25B5843E448B at Lambert>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
	reply-type=original

I can sure understand why you said that. You are an amazing woman and I have
always loved reading your work.

But, to be honest, being blind is a bitch to me, and it pisses me off - in
plain old language. However, I am not really angry - but take things in
stride and have plunged forward with life as it is. But, it is most
definitely very inconvenient.  When I hear people here talk about how great
it is to be blind, I think they are on another planet, in some parallel
universe.  I sure don't live in the same world they do and I definitely
never ever see people as Blind or Sighted, like it is a culture or a special
group. I have no particular bias against people who can see well, because
there are just stupid people of all sorts, blind or sighted.
Horror
stories go both ways - but then, I have not had a lifetime of dealing with
such challenges so who am I to say? Cynicism is not healthy for anyone.

I won't be singing the glories of sight loss nor celebrating it in any way,
anytime soon, and probably never.
I like the driver's seat; I like planning my own moves; and I love being in
complete charge of everything around me, so for me, it's a bitch! Of course,
I never say this to anyone around me.

OK, back to your poem. I agree that it sounds completely different when
hearing it via a synthetic voice - but if you could hear a human reading it
aloud, it works very well.  Why not take it to your poetry group, and have 2
people read it - no two people ever read a poem the same way. It is always
good to hear at least 2 or 3 different people read the same poem to really
get the feel of it.

Your extended lines really even it out - because most of the time rhyming
end words really make things stilted and confined, and often make a serious
poem sound silly; but the extended lines (your enjambment) does help give it
some space.

The asterisk, I forgot to mention. I agree with Chris. It came across to me
as a typo, which I meant to let you know was there. It does not work in the
way you were hoping it would - to divide the poem into two parts. You don't
need to do that, because with your words you have taken us from one time

frame to another very well, I think.
Lynda, who is actually in a really great mood this evening!  haha

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