it is the hard
edge of things
i am avoiding
the separations
so that i can take my glasses off
and then i cannot tell
which are the leaves
and which the angels
like blake
like that man
who lived with the lepers
not noticing what was sin
and what was grace
visioning visions vision
i take my glasses off
so i can see
From At the Gate: Uncollected Poems, 1987–2010 by Lucille Clifton, edited by Kazim Ali. Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Boa Editions, Ltd.