Peripheral Vision - March 7 2023

 

Peripheral Vision

March 7 2023

What draws me

to the periphery of things,

the background,

setting,

incidental detail?

Not the tunnel vision

most people have,

but a blindspot

and wandering eye?

Why not the main character

reading from the script,

the spotlit protagonist

you'd naturally focus on?

Why do I pause

to see what book

is on the bedside table,

caught

as the camera pans across it?

Make note

of the uncluttered desk,

with just a fountain pen

and ink-stained blotter?

Notice the painting over the bed,

the stiff chair

that must have been a conscious choice?

And in the family photograph

above the credenza

I catch just a glimpse of,

why can't I help but see

how he stands

leaning slightly back

a little distanced from the rest?

The telling details.

Each one

selected

with thoughtful intention,

even though

they will likely never be noticed.

Because the small things count.

Because the telling detail

is a story in itself.

I go through life like this,

bumping into things

stumbling awkwardly,

distracted

as my eye wanders

and the foreground blurs.

Too bad, we see what we expect to see

while so much gets missed.

Instead of taking our time.

Instead of actively looking.

Instead of observing closely

and opening eyes to the world.

The found sound

amidst the noise.

The telling detail

so easily overlooked.

The small thing of beauty

and its moment of delight.

Like a finely cut gem

that catches the light just so,

and in that moment

turns a colour no one's seen before

and words cannot describe.