I Am Hansel

Winter sun lays upon these south windows

unwashed for years

upon which tree shadows make it easy

to see through the filmy dirt

if the shadows were not there

the windows would be a mottled white

opaque to all outside or inside

seeing though air is the same

the shadows of tree or window frame

even others hide what is beyond

what is beneath

unlike the shadows of tree branches

that make the window dirt invisible

we have no such luck

when it comes to shadows that fall

upon the interior walls of our eye

so we must do our best to create

an understanding of our world

inside of minds

quickly, someone flash a light

through all these illusions

and give me what I want

a chance to see beyond what is here

even if only for a minute

so that I may know

the difference between what I see

through dirty windows

and what my eye tells me

is in front and beside me

because I do not trust

anything I see anymore

and even less of what is inside me

or at the end of my arm

fingers probing for something solid

in a dark world

where photons

are the magic of witches

and every wall is made of poisoned sugar

Copyright © 2012 by Barry G. Wick