Born Blind

Born Blind

Libby Kurz

The things we see every day
are the things we never see at all. – G.K. Chesterton

We were born blind, but God
has kissed our eyes
with the mercy of His mouth
and the dry dirt of the earth.
Every day, He places
the soft pad of His finger
upon our fragile eyelids.
Open, He says. Forget
that you are beggars.
In His kindness, He has
given us great pleasure—
Do you not see it?
It’s as plain as mud,
as sour as spit,
as common as water
splashing against your face.
It’s the trees breaking open
outside your own window—
its white petals that taste
like angels, its dark roots
that constantly elude you.
It’s as ordinary as your own body,
that slow vessel marked
by the gravity of time.
Even your scars
are pictures drawn
on the coarse sands
of your flesh.
Even your scars shine
upon blemished skin.
Speak for yourself
Who has healed you—
Now go and tell.

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Libby Kurz
Poet & Nurse

Libby is a poet, writer, registered nurse, and military veteran. She holds a BS in Nursing from UNC-Charlotte and an MFA in Creative Writing from National University. Her work has appeared in Ruminate, Relief Journal, Driftwood Press, and Literary Mama, among others, and in 2019, Finishing Line Press published her poetry chapbook, The Heart Room. She teaches creative writing workshops for The Muse Writers Center, a literary non-profit based in Norfolk, VA. After a decade of moving cross-country with the military, she now resides in Virginia Beach with her husband, three children, and Swiss Mountain Dog.

Photography by Anna Shevchuk