Sunday, February 15, 2009

Being Inspired by Others

People

To those fixed on white,
White is white,
To those fixed on black,
It is the same,
And red is red,
Yellow, yellow-

Surely there are such sights
In the many colored world,
Or in the mind.
The strange thing is that
These people never see themselves
Or you, or me.

Are they not in their minds?
Are we not in the world?
This is a curious blindness
For those that are color blind.

What queer beliefs
That men who believe in sights
Disbelieve in seers.

O people, if you but used
Your other eyes
You would see beings.

--Jean Toomer (1894-1967)

4 comments:

Opaque said...

"The strange thing is that
These people never see themselves
Or you, or me.

Are they not in their minds?
Are we not in the world?
This is a curious blindness
For those that are color blind."

I am speechless. May I request you to read my song titled "Endless Mess". Judith, please do read it and let me know what you think.

Ah, a beautiful post.

Judith Ellis said...

Yes, Toomer, is an inspired poet. These men and women of love and dignity held no self-destructive anger towards incredible injustice. The likes of these I greatly admire.

I will read your song. I suspect I will find it on your website, eh? Thanks for directing there. I usually visit anyway. :-)

Opaque said...

Yea, you will find it in my blog. Just look for it under the category named "Songs".

Thank you.

Judith Ellis said...

Will do, Brosreview.