The Man Born Blind
Inverse Poem
Do
I
Yet
Exist in this story
That I might presume to
Walk on by, unconcerned
Even as I hear a fellow soul choosing to
Cry aloud, asking only for acknowledgement -
I simply
Look on with pity, and inaction -
Will he look to me with sightless eyes
to ease this burden (?)
I ask my God
If perhaps
I am the man born blind.
*
*
*
*Author's Note: Read normally, this poem reflects some of my thoughts after walking by a blind, homeless man on a London street, who was literally calling out, "will someone please acknowledge me?" My choice to just keep walking haunts me to this day. The inverse reading of the poem is my creative reflection on what the internal world of this blind man might have been. Thank you for your read- may we learn to be less blind together <3
About the Creator
Gabriel Huizenga
Twas for love of words that I first joined this site:
Poetry, essays, and dear short stories too;
For to live one's best is to read, and to write!
So find me in words here, and I'll find you 💙
Thanks for stopping by! :)
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Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
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Vocal Bonus Leaderboard: 05/15/2024
Welcome to the weekly update of the Leaderboard! We're thrilled to showcase Vocal's most discussed stories, popular picks, and rising stars. Let's dive into this past week's standout contributors and their remarkable achievements.
By Vocal Team5 days ago in Resources
Comments (43)
I did not even attempt to partake in this challenge and after reading your entry I understand the brilliance in yours. I read it four times and loved it both ways. Congratulations on a very well earned placing.
The best inverse I think I’ve read Gabriel 👏 You managed to not only reverse the meaning, but switch the position of the speaker, from passer-by to homeless. I haven’t seen someone manage to do this, and it works so well. Brilliantly done!🤗
This is a lovely piece and well-deserved win.
Happens, unfortunately, and well written, Gabriel. Indeed, who is blind, really?
So emotive… ‘I ask my God If perhaps I am the man born blind.’ He obviously made an impact on you… sadly, in the spur of the moment, we often don’t know how to act.
Beautifully and cleverly written ✨🙏🤍
brilliant
This was really well done. Nice! 👍
Incredibly moving and so well executed. Congrats on your win, Gabriel!
This is incredibly well done. Congrats on the win.
Heart touching lines
This is fantastic. Should be number one in my opinion. It strikes a similar nostalgic and regrettable chord within me, about a man inside and outside the box.
A touching and poignant piece. Congrats!
This is simply amazing - what a fantastic concept! Congratulations! 😍
Wow Gabriel, just wow! I love how you’ve presented this moving story from two POVs. The self reflection and shame of the speaker presents the duality of dark and light within everyone. The inner struggle that balances the scales, or keeps striving to. The plea of the homeless man is heartbreaking and adds further weight to the original reading. Masterful indeed 🥰 (Subscribed)
An excellent piece of work. So cleverly woven. I love the character shift that occurs in the inverse reading. Both directions, concise, fluid and deep. So perfectly suited to the challenge. Congratulations!
👏👏👏👏 Oh and for the 2nd place win! 👏👏👏👏👏 Amazing work, Gabriel! Wish I could shake your hand for this one! If you don't mind, I do have to ask, how long would you say it took you to get it to this point before you published it. This challenge was a true pain in the butt, I'm so glad it's over 😅.
Amazing. So meaningful read each way. I didn't read your Author's Note before I read it. I appreciate the explanation as background, but I think the poem can be interpreted so many ways. Read from top to bottom, the speaker could be anyone feeling not really part of the human story, but realizing it may be because he cannot really see other people, either literally or not. Reading bottom to top, it could be anyone feeling ignored and neglected. Congrats!
Oh my goodness this hurt my heart
This was a heartfelt and beautiful poem. The way you crafted the inverse to show two different perspectives was really well done!! Thank you for sharing this experience with us. <3 And congrats on SECOND PLACE!! : D Well-deserved.
Wow. Just exceptional. We all make mistakes like this sometimes as we lead our lives but having the empathy to reflect and change makes the world a better place. I love your poem and congratulations! 🎈🎊🍾
This was exceptional and I can see why it was picked out for second place, well done! I love how clearly defined the two perspectives are and it's always a bitter pill to learn a hard lesson and I think we've all made similar decisions. I too have done similar things when walking by homeless people when I lived in Leeds and in Glasgow and Paisley...so you're not alone. We can but do better next time. This poem shows remarkable and clear understanding though...well done. Also...now subscribed!
Your author's note is haunting. Incredibly how you flip the perspective. I was so moved I read it out loud to my housemate!
Great Inspiration! And congrats on your win! 😊👍
How did you do this? I feel it's miraculous that it has the dual voice working so perfectly. Not miraculous in a purely supernatural sense, of course; your talent is blowing my mind. It sits with me like a piece of the fabric of heaven; the questions asked, the picture presented, the shame it evokes...yet the sublimity of humanity is still threaded in the words. The weight and value of each human life, it's there. I'm in awe. Truly remarkable work, Gabriel. This deserves more accolades than a mere second place.