Picture it & Write – Sight

Ermilia’s Picture it & write  (Sunday 17 March 2013)

Once again, here is my offering to ‘Picture it & write’ hosted by Ermilia (Ermisenda and Eliabeth) who invite others to join them by writing a fictional story or poem to accompany an image presented on their blog.

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Image Reproduced from Ermilia's BlogImage by Marisa Lyon
Image Reproduced from Ermilia’s Blog
Image by Marisa Lyon

This was how she saw life; as if through a lens covered with lost memories and dreams.

It had been a difficult few years.

The loss of sight, physical and mental had taken its toll.

When would she regain it; she didn’t know.  Possibly her visual sight would never return to normal. However, she hoped one day she may experience the joy of mental sight once more.

The accident had been horrific. He passed, she lived.

Huh, she thought; she lived! If this was life, then she was living.

No more tears; her eyes were no longer capable. No more love; her heart now bled, unable to love.

The doctor advised. “You may never regain full sight, I’m sorry.”

Upon reflection she thought physical sight meant little, now that he was no longer in view.

Mentally, she knew life would never be the same.

Carolyn Page

97 comments

  1. I have often wondered if I would have been able to handle the death of my ex better than the fact that he’s still out there, happy with somebody else.
    I don’t know. Never will.
    Suppose me losing my dude is like a death of some sort. I hear what she’s thinking – it’s as if life does lose some of it’s colour after such a loss. Regardless of eyesight or not.

        1. Agreed, Ghia; it is like a death of a sort; a death that doesn’t quite allow for an ending, so to speak…! I think the same applies to any loss of the heart. There is a ‘loss of colour’ and a ‘loss of perspective’ for a time. Here’s hoping though, that the colour returns; both physical and mental…. xoxoxo

    1. It is hard to say ‘Thank You’ for touching your heart with a sad story, and yet it pleases me that you are touched. I believe we can all relate to a loss of the heart. It lingers, and allows us to empathize..! I think it’s wonderful to be able to do that… makes us soooo human… 😉

  2. I love that you continued with this ‘blind’ theme. A very sad tale. It was truly touching though. I don’t know how I would handle losing my partner AND my sight. It would all be too much. I guess you would have to stay strong and find something to live for. Thanks for contributing this week, a great and moving piece, Carolyn! 🙂

    – Ermisenda

    1. Thank You, Ermisenda…
      Last week a young man asked which sense I would least like to lose; hearing or sight!
      When I replied that either would be an horrific situation he replied.
      “I wouldn’t want to lose my sight; I’d rather lose hearing because I could at least still see to lip read.” This interaction, plus a number of sad posts in relation to lost loved ones (and the ‘blind’ theme) culminated in this post..
      Indeed, one would need to ‘stay strong’ in such a condition. Eventually, and hopefully, the human spirit would gain sufficient strength to move forward… So sad..!

  3. My friend, this is amazing! This is probably one of my favorite pieces from you. So full of pain and heartache. I love how well you were able to write these emotions.

  4. When I saw that picture, I looked away from your text and wondered “how would I interpret that?” The first thing that popped into my head was vision troubles….. and then I read your piece. Wonderful! You made it real. Great story … with feeling. 🙂

  5. Beautifully written and emotionally charged. A sad but compelling piece. Great entry! And thank you for the mention on the photo 🙂

    1. That says so much about you, my dear Resa. To be able to empathize with another’s pain is such a wonderful trait. So wonderful; it opens us to so many more possibilities in life…! xoxoxo

  6. I often wonder where you get your ideas for stories, Carolyn. The blind theme is such a good one for this picture. And it was sad, too.

    1. Thank You, Yaz…
      Most who entered this week were taken back to childhood by this image however, I was reminded of a number of sad losses I’ve read about in the past few days, plus a conversation with a young man regarding loss of sight and hearing. It was quite coincidental that the ‘blind’ theme was in effect (as, apparently it has been for 2 weeks; though there is no obligation, naturally).
      No, Yaz, this was purely what came to me as I wrote. As a bit of a rebel, I’m sure I’d not be happy conforming to a theme… You know me; wild horses and strange men could not hold me down…! 😆

      1. Really? Sometimes I wonder if my movie reviews read like a first grader compared to other reviews I’ve seen. I only do what I think makes sense to me and what I would want to know about a film. I haven’t done a cooking or craft blog in a while. I use to do them. I just need to figure out what I need to cook and make, haha. Thanks for your encouragement. You are a gem Carolyn!!!

        1. “Sometimes I wonder if my movie reviews read like a first grader.”
          Not at all..! I believe we are all our own worst critics… 😕
          I critique a piece by its ease of reading. I find your work reads easily, basically because it ‘flows’…. 🙂

          1. Oh ok! 🙂 I am very much my own critic. It takes me a few hours to write it up because I make sure my research is correct. I write easy because I know people are tired from a long day at work and the last thing they need to read is something too complex for an already fried brain (at least I am that way). I’ve noticed that I can input something very complicated into making it sound very easy and understandable for my readers. My readers come from around the world and English is already hard enough for them to understand, so I make it a little easy for them. Thanks for your encouragement once again. It has made me feel better and I promise not to be too harsh on myself. 🙂

  7. when you lose something, something else is given to you. I am pretty sure, she will find some other sense that will show her this world from a different perspective. She will find a new way to appreciate life and everything that’s given

    1. The sentiments of a strong woman, Dace; to be sure…!
      Unfortunately not all have this strong base from which to work; more the shame. Some enjoy wallowing, too… As a counselor, I’ve come across many types; some ‘make it’, some don’t. I’m so pleased to know you, Dace; your spirit for life is enormously wonderful to know…. 😉

  8. Oh, how sad! I`m kind of crying for this fictional woman now. I hope that she learns to love what she can still do, and becomes part of one of those heartwarming stories, and becomes the best orchestra director ever because she can still hear, or something.

    1. That sounds like a wonderful ending for this fictional woman; to be an orchestra leader; indeed the best orchestra leader because her hearing is now so acute. I really like that… 🙂

  9. You’ve created such a touching story in so few words, Carolyn. Well done. I find the need to console myself: “It’s fiction, Lori, it’s fiction.” And I hope it will always be so for all of us who read it.

    1. Indeed, Lori…. I think that is the magic of fictional pieces; they allow us to empathize and touch that part ‘within’ that understands…. Sort of like your gorgeous poetry that we all relate to so easily… 😉

  10. a harrowing experience, reading this.. left a heavy sensation on my chest.. beautifully done, Carolyn. i hope your character finds something wonderful to live for. i personally wouldn’t know what to do when life hands me something as horrible as that

    1. Somehow I can’t see you not overcoming such a challenge. I’m sure that if life was to serve you an event such as this, you would rise to the challenge. Difficult, yes…! However, kz; you have the strength of many in one. Your heart is incredibly strong…. 😉

  11. Beautiful story. So sad, and I’m sure it took a lot of pondering! When I see the picture are camera troubles, My thoughts are, “What did I do to cause this mess?”

    My mom’s cousin, Hal, is 88, and suffers increasingly from vision problems, has lost his wife. He keeps chugging along cheerfully turning his attentions and talents to new endeavors that he CAN do. I hope when I reach that age, that I will be able to still work through my disabilities and not give up on life.

    1. My picture taking abilities depend upon the ‘Automatic Button’…! 😉
      I dare not go into it any deeper; it’s all too complicated for me… 🙂

      What a great man Hal sounds. It’s when life hands us troubles that we really find out what we’re made of. Knowing a little about your life before your present day one, Marcia; I’d say you’ve got what it takes to handle any challenge life can create…..!

      1. Humans are remarkably able to adapt and cope with lots of challenges. We don’t always trust ourselves or others until we face a challenge. I had never met Hal until a couple of years ago. I found him after my mother passed away. Meeting him brought her back to me in so many ways along with my grandfather, her dad. It was like I had known him all my life. Very strange, but wonderful! 🙂

        1. Yes, we certainly find our metal (and fortunately, or unfortunately) the metal of others during those tough times.

          What a mixed joy is must have been to find Hal, and what a joy to find he’s got what it takes! Here’s to Hal (and us) having whatever we need to cope with whatever comes our way… 🙂

    1. Yes, true. Life has many ups and downs and cycles around and around. We need to be mindful of that, and accept it too; which isn’t always easy…!
      Thank You for your visit, and for your comment, too… 🙂

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