Waking

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The alarm sounds
Eyes open, with shaky focus and fuzzy,
glazed-glass pictures as they squint at new daylight.
Other eyes move beyond this phase quickly
focus firmly ahead on new adventures
My eyes remain the same as low-vision, wobbly, bleary eyes do.
My eyes are always waking

My dancing eyes greet others, and the others question me
Is something wrong?
Their eyes have trouble seeing beyond mine
What I say, what I know, how I feel, is second to the looks of things
I constantly explain myself so others can move beyond their view of me
The others without dancing eyes are always waking,
and sometimes never awake enough
to focus on how I might better see and be

The world is waking
Beginning to aim vision toward humanizing each other –
as we should have long ago
Looking toward the future is blurry
How do we all help each other?
Some others cannot focus on ways to give relief to those of us who are exhausted
Easy things to some are not effortless for all
Everyone says it is easier to rest
Helping is too tiring
Sleeping.

I try waking others to notice the light
Gently tapping shoulders before their eyes close again
Hoping they will see and hear the appeals of those who might depend on them
Bodies and minds in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes who see things like I do
We must be seen, must be heard, because we know
We are awake, we are visible
Unless the others close their eyes
I am awake and growing tired
What if the others go back to sleep?

Wendy Tobias, Ed.D., CRC, LPCC (She/Her) is the Chief Accessibility and Inclusion Officer at University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Tobias identifies as a Queer female who is legally blind and enjoys singing outside of work.