Presbyopia

‘By some miracle, she felt a lifting / lost the tyranny and weight of near things’ /

"It's presbyopia—old lady eyes. . . ."

That's what her friend told her, and she marveled

at the optics of her age: years distilled

her moon blue eyes into binoculars.

She read the goldfinch in flight two yards over,

while John's first chapter was a shimmering blur.

By some miracle, she felt a lifting,

lost the tyranny and weight of near things,

her eyes drawn to a brightness hovering now

just beyond earth's endless curved horizon.

Julie Sumner is The Behemoth’s poetry editor, who recently learned of her own Presbyopia, or age-induced farsightedness. Read more of her work at her blog, windowonwords.com.

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Also in this Issue

Issue 21 / April 30, 2015
  1. Editors’ Note

    Issue 21: Redeeming the Law, whale migration, cell sacrifice, and farsightedness.

  2. I Fought the Law

    Now I think it’s time to rehabilitate its unsavory reputation. /

  3. The Largest Beast’s Long Migration

    Blue whales shock us with their size. But their efficiency and endurance are greater still. /

  4. Greater Love Has No Cell

    The biblical allegory written into our bodies. /

  5. Wonder on the Web

    Links to amazing stuff /

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