Eyes To See Poem by Seamus O' Brian
Eyes To See
The hand cannot write
What the eyes do not see.
I must pupil my eyes to see
Beneath the flawless skin
of the apple
To the tautness of the crisp, white
Flesh, to the soft, brown decay
Where rot foments its ceaseless
Expansion, and death lurks in darkness,
To the slick, wet coils of the eyeless worm
Who knows naught but the devouring
Of his own existence, to the seeds
Lying in silent sleep at the center whose
Presence is the purpose of the whole,
And having never known light, yet carry
Within them designs which await their time
To transform sunlight into orchards of apples.
And if I wish to see, if I wish to know,
If I wish to understand the whole of an apple,
I must teach my eyes to see
More than the color of its skin.
Looking for the meaning of what we focus on must strike all of our senses, understanding the whole of the apple, I wish to see, I wish to know...wonderful poetry!
the title caught my attention, neal. this is an excellent extended metaphor with vivid language, and the closing lines are perfect making a perfect envelope structure to the whole. good stuff! good poem! -glen
Your eyes really see where most eyes haven't thought of venturing, Seamus. I love the journey to the seeds whose presence are the purpose of the whole. Seeds and what they represent are one of my favourite things in the universe. The basis of my faith, in a way. When the confusion of life temporarily sweeps away my understanding, my belief, I just come back to seeds, and all is restored.
Seeds are the essence of promise, aren't they, Laurie? And so essentially linked to faith. Almost as if faith took a material form, it must be that of a seed. Thanks! ! ! :) S
What brillant imagery within these words Seamus, love the though of been aable to teach our eyes to see, lovely read. Annette
Waste Never Wasted In Nature when the apple falls waste uneaten to the ground the flesh of the decaying apple is food for the seed flesh pulp fertiliser sows generation seed orchard Copyright © Terence George Craddock Inspired by the poem 'Eyes To See' by the poet Seamus O'Brien. Dedicated to the poet Seamus O'Brien.
Look at the whole image and plumb its depths. This is a magnificent piece, Seamus and I shall be putting into in my favourites. It reminds me of a discussion I had with my brother about Poussin and we agreed he really sees. When I read your poem one of my two favourite French phases comes to mind: Il sut ecrire. He knew how to write. There is great depth in those three words. The other comes from Apollinaire il sut aimer he knew how to love (forgive my lack of accents. I don't think I can switch to French mode on PH except by copying from Word!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/18/2024 12:15:35 AM # 1.0.0.1119
The hand cannot write What the eyes do not see. I must pupil my eyes to see Beneath the flawless skin of the apple To the tautness of the crisp, white Flesh, to the soft, brown decay' beautiful, we must always remember when the apple falls waste uneaten to the ground, the flesh of the decaying apple is food for the seed, flesh pulp fertiliser sows generation seed orchard brilliant poem Seamus 10+++