The following is the title poem of my book, Persistence of Vision. I’m posting this as a response to the Daily Post Prompt to write about Vision. The poem was inspired by three things:
- A performance by The Blue Man Group called, “Rods and Cones.” This is where I first heard of the medical theory called, “persistence of vision.” (Their breakdown of the theory is far more entertaining that what you will find on wikipedia. Check it out!)
- The belief that the Amish hold regarding having their pictures taken.
- The I35W Bridge Collapse in Minnesota in 2007. One of the first responders to the catastrophe described trying to take pictures of how visually overwhelming the scene was by saying, “Some things are only meant for the eyes.”
I hope you enjoy this piece! (P.S. I’m going to file this under “V” for vision in the A to Z Blog Challenge!)
Persistence of Vision
The soul gets lost
when you try to still time.
Modern technology can’t
do the moment justice.
Some things
are only meant
for the eyes to receive.
The memory serves
as the best recorder.
It’s a broad canvas
that establishes the scenes
in proper emotional perspective.
Pictures, moving and still,
have their place.
They coax the memory,
which has been buried in time,
to awaken and recall
every movement and sound,
and smell and emotion,
so the soul can be stirred
and the heart can be moved
by the image once more.
Still, an image won’t fit in a frame.
Some things are only meant for the eyes.
