by Christine Holleyman

Created on: September 16, 2009

O this is a strange world indeed!
All the inhabitants walk in darkness -
in Great Darkness!
They're like the blind cave fish
that have evolved
through countless numbers of years
in total darkness.

Because there is no Light,
there is no need for their eyes -
and their eyes
consume away in their sockets
and atrophy from lack of use.
Their eyes have been covered by a thick skin;

a skin that they cannot cut away.

O how thankful I am the thick skin
has been cut away from my eyes!
I can see!
And how wonderful it is to be able to see
after those many, many years of blindness!
I can now see
the many wonderful and great things
that were hidden from me
when I lived in darkness.
When I was blind
and living in that cave,
I did not want to leave it
because I had grown accustomed to its darkness,
and I was afraid
that Light would hurt
my dull and useless eyes.
How thankful I am that I've seen the Light -
and now know that it does not hurt!
But I can now see
the many hurts that are in that cave
and in that darkness;
I now see
that it's the darkness that hurts -
and not the Light.

There are many deadly things
and poisonous serpents in the dark cave,
and many pitfalls,
black yawning pits,
waiting in the paths,
waiting for the poor and blind people
to stumble into them -
and fall screaming to the bottom.
I am still in the cave,
but I've been given Light
so I can see the serpents, scorpions,
and dangerous pitfalls.
I can avoid them all -
because I can see them.

But I also see other things -
horrible things.
I see people who are still blind,
bitten and stung day and night.
I see them gathered together in a long line,
following their leader,
and all marching headlong into the gaping mouth
of one of those deep black pits.
So I try to warn them,
and I tell one,
"Don't take another step
because there's a hazardous pit
directly in your path!"
And he asks,
"How do you know
there's a pit directly before me?"
And I tell him,
"Because I've been given Light
and I can now see."
But he argues,
"What is Light?
I've never seen Light.
So how can something called Light
Enable one to see?"
And his last words to me,
Just before he steps into the pit is,
"I don't believe there is a thing called Light
that can make people see."

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