When seeing is more about wonder than sight
Wonder is the key ingredient to truly seeing, such as this scene from Acadia National Park, which inspired Penobscot poet Sue Shaw. Photo by Sue Shaw.
Feb. 23, 2026
By Sue Shaw
I see…
The ability we have to see
Has naught to do with sight…
It’s all about perception
Not the image or the light!
We might have 20-20
But the subject isn’t clear...
If we don’t embrace the wonder,
Then the eyes are blind, I fear!
Some look at woods and just see ‘green’
Not grace of shrub and trees
They might see only water
When they look at stormy seas.
They might not see the sparkle
Of an early autumn frost—
Or the beauty of a spider web.
How sad that sight is lost,
When there is no perception...
And I give thanks year on year
That my poor eyes
Can realize
The wonder that is here!
—Shaw is a poet who lives in Penobscot.
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