The man at the traffic light was the genesis.
The blindness plunged him into a milky sea.
Then a lot more followed:
the car thief,
the fun-seeking lady,
the ophthalmologist,
even more.
In that deserted clinic wing
where they all ended up,
it’s a delight how Pramoedya Toer
made the doctor’s wife see
far into the story, until the end
when she finally drowned
in the milky sea of bright blindness.
It’s a delight how blindness
isn’t dark but milky
in This Earth of Mankind.
A book-to-poem on Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s This Earth of Mankind
Wow! At this second-last hour, this is amazing, Ofuma!! You are almost there. Not knowing this book, I love how you interwove the theme of blindness into your retelling. That short line ‘even more’ says so much!
Thanks, Cristy. Toer is a fine writer and a Nobel laureate. Last year, I also did a book-to-poem with Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.
Loved the poem, the intertwining and story. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Vijaya. That was actually my summary of the book by Toer, who is a Nobel laureate.
Remembering your name from last year’s Marathon, I especially looked for a poem you submitted and found this one about Bright Blindness. No surprise that it is impressive and insightful and easy to read. THANK YOU for sharing this God given talent with us.
You are welcome, Nancy.
This is great, now i have to look for this book and read.
Thank you for Sharing this beauty with us .
You are welcome, Ngozi.