Besides learning to see, there is another art to be learned, — not to see what is not.
—Maria Mitchell, pioneering astronomer
Give me eyes that see only what is,
eyes not fooled by veils, by scars.
Give me ears that hear only the words that are said,
ears that clearly translate silence.
But give me a heart that feels into
what is possible, a heart that believes
in goodness, despite reports
from ears, from eyes. Give
me a heart that speaks only love,
that leans toward kindness, that opens
again and again like an O’Keefe petunia—
larger than anticipated, mind stopping,
soul rousing, haloed by wonder
and wholly true to itself.