The blind see only this world / (A Christmas Card

Today the Lamb of God arrives in the mail
above the Cross, beside the Handsome Sailor
                                               from Russia
in his turtleneck sweater. Today we make love
                                                   in our minds.
and women come to fore, winning the field.

It is Christmas, Hanukkah,—heritages we leave
                                                   behind
                       in Israel.

There is a new cross in the wind, and it is our

             minds, imagination, will

             where the discovery is made

of how to pass the night, how to share the gift

of love, our bodies, which is true
                                              illumination
                 of the present instant.

There is no other journey to make. We receive all
                 we need.
Without insight, we remain blind.
Without vision, we see only this world.

From Supplication: Selected Poems of John Wieners, edited by Joshua Beckman, CAConrad, and Robert Dewhurst © 2015 John Wieners Literary Trust, Raymond Foye, Administrator. Reprinted with the permission of The John Wieners Literary Trust.