#NaPoWriMo 2022 Day Twenty-eight

Cataracts
milky    white 
film       covers
lens    over    pupil
focus       dulls
stealing     your
Eyesight

                                        

NaPoWriMo PromptToday’s (optional) prompt is to write a concrete poem. Like acrostic poems, concrete poems are a favorite for grade-school writing assignments, so this may not be your first time at the concrete-poem rodeo. In brief, a concrete poem is one in which the lines are shaped in a way that mimics the topic of the poem. For example, May Swenson’s poem “Women” mimics curves, reinforcing the poem’s references to motion, rocking horses, and even the shape of a woman’s body. George Starbuck’s “Sonnet in the Shape of a Potted Christmas Tree” is – you guessed it – a sonnet in the shape of a potted Christmas tree. Your concrete poem could be complexly-shaped, but relatively simple strategies can also be “concrete” —  like a poem involving a staircase where the length of the lines grows or shrinks over time, like an ascending (or descending) set of stairs.

Good morning and welcome to day twenty-eight of napowrimo where I attempt to create a defective eyeball not sure I nailed this one, but I know how time consuming and tricky shape poems can be.

   Tea Time

 

                                              h                Kettle on
                                                 o        I remember tea      M 
                                                    t   pouring water into         i
                                                          cups set to steep           l
                                                          stir in sugar and      k

My first time participating in napowrimo (2010) Tea Time turned into a tea kettle. And the first poem of mine Melanie accepted at Silver Birch Press was a concrete poem –
Monsoon Season

Neither of these poems came to be without a lot of editing. Today I was trying to design an actual eye, but nothing I had seemed to be working so I went with a simple eyeball. I wanted it to be more rounded like an actual ball, but then I realized I have an astigmatism so my eyeball isn’t perfectly round, right? And the strike through hopefully lends to how hard it is to see with cataracts. Okay I just asked Gretchen and she affirmed it looks like an eyeball – Eye of Sauron. But at least it’s eye shape.

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#NaPoWriMo 2022 Day Twelve

Replace tiny lens
Milky white film covers eye
Hazy vision clears

NaPoWriMo PromptToday’s prompt (optional, as always) should come as no surprise. Yesterday, I challenged you to write a poem about a very large thing. Today, I’d like you to invert your inspiration, and write a poem about a very small thing. Whether it’s an atom, a button, a hummingbird’s egg, dollhouse furniture, or the mythical world’s smallest violin, I hope you enjoy your poetic adventures into the microscopic.

Good morning and welcome to day twelve of NaPoWriMo where small and large is a matter of perspective. I thought about writing about my cataracts yesterday as the surgeon said, There’s no baby here. My right eye was completely covered by cataracts – it was very large. My left eye is also developing cataracts, but it seems to be progressing at a regular speed. They told me it is just at the minimal growth that surgery is an option. We opted to just have my right eye done due to cost and the fact the cataract in my left eye is not impeding my vision yet. Supposedly cataracts is a slow progression, but this was not the case in my right eye. Either that or as is the case with my CP and I ignore my right side most of the time, it includes my right eye and I just didn’t notice the decrease in eyesight until it was totally gone. My left side is used to compensating for the lack of ability of the right; I wouldn’t be surprised if that included my eyes.

April 12th also means it’s DEAR day in honor of Beverly Cleary’s birthday. And after spending a good portion of last year not being able to read, I’m off to read a book. I hope you enjoyed reading my small contribution to the day twelve prompt.

Dimming
Eyesight
Addles
Reading

Five More Days Until My Birthday

Me at home after cataract surgery

Good afternoon – It’s about a week and a half after my surgery. The vision in my right eye was pretty instantaneous and then they taped it closed. So yes, clear distant was immediate; the close up vision is still working itself out. I have found I can read if I put the screen or book at arm’s length; otherwise, my left eye is doing most of the reading work. I’m thankful the left eye can still see well with glasses because there were a few things no one mentioned until the final pre-op visit. 1) I can no longer drive at night. The surgeon appeared a little hesitant at the pre-op – I don’t want to tell you you are my youngest, but yeah you’re my youngest patient. This was followed by, You can’t drive at night anymore. I laughed, Well since I don’t drive at all that would probably be a good idea. Needless to say this relieved the surgeon because most of his patients have already stopped driving at night and he wasn’t looking forward to telling a 47 year old she can’t drive at night.

The second thing I found out at that visit was I could not bend over for a week. Hello, I have CP and do not have the balance to bend at the knees. I spent an entire week not being able to do anything. I’m still not allowed to do any strenuous activities, which again with CP is very restrictive because I use more energy to do things. I did empty and reload the dishwasher the other day. When Shawn came home he yelled at me; I was like I can bend over now and emptying and reloading a dishwasher isn’t that taxing. I am still not lugging around the vacuum, mop and bucket, or laundry baskets. And yes I’m going a little stir crazy just sitting around the house. Imagine if all these restrictions carried on for a month if I scheduled my left eye two weeks after my right. Since my 48th birthday is after the two week mark of my surgery, I also wanted to be able to celebrate it.

One thing I have been able to do is sit and write haiku so at least I’m not twiddling my thumbs all day.

Do not bend over
Eye needs enough time to heal
Sit and write haiku

Start new fashion trend
Extend usefulness of glasses
Right lens taken out

It’s okay to cry
But be careful not to sneeze
After surgery

Could see right away
But it was not long enough
Eye taped to go home

Stuck on couch all day
Housework falls by the wayside
While I recover

No strenuous work
Leaves almost nothing to do
Boredom rules the day

Two Weeks and Counting

Good afternoon two weeks from today is my cataract surgery, and it seems even Twitter wants to remind me. Yesterday @SpaceLiminalBot posted a photo from an eye test. Back in April I discovered the Liminal Space account on Twitter for a #NaPoWriMo prompt and I followed the page. This was a photo they tweeted yesterday.

@SpaceLiminalBot photo Twitter 10/18/2021

Cataracts cloud lens
My right eye has vision loss
Hard pressed to see house

Today I used the #HaikuChallenge word – press to write a poem about my vision experience. I’ve been doing quite well with the challenge since returning from our trip. Of course I’ve been using photos from the trip as inspiration for my haiku, starting on my actual anniversary.

Just married
25 years pass
What happened?

Weekend getaway
Hotel room mirror selfies
My super hot bod

Celebrate love
Twenty five years of marriage
Does it really show?

Repurpose glass box
Old phone booth experiment
Dial a poem

Anniversary
Soft cries encourage him on
Wine and strawberries

Long four day weekend
Start celebrating early
And carry on late

Press grapes to make juice
Then ferment inside barrels
Enjoy wine tasting

Friday I get to go have more testing done on my right eye so they can make the best artificial lens to fit the eye. They try to get it as close to 20/20 as possible. Three weeks after the surgery I go back to have my eyesight tested and get new glasses. Since I’m not sure how well things will go between the surgery and vision check, I’m pretty sure my computer screen time will be limited. Even if my right eye will be able to see well there is the fact my left eye still needs corrective lenses. So my eyesight will still be catawampus until I get new glasses.