I get lost in other people’s eyes,
always seeking my redemption
my ablution
my completion

In this present darkness,
I see through myself
into the eyes of others
the suffering of
Everyman and woman

When we will open our doors
and walk into the light again,
I will have more and more
eyes to look into

If I am unseated from the blackness
that has cradled me,
I will follow them
here and there,
asking for things
they cannot give

I will search in the blank eyes
to know that I am real,
in the kind eyes
that I am good,
in the angry eyes
that I may be forgiven

I look at these living beings
as if they were mirrors,
but like Narcissus,
I get too close and fall in–
my fears
my night terrors
my fairy tales–
and slowly
drown myself
this way

I must remember  
I will not find
what I am looking for
with my eyes

I will only find it
when I am blind,
and the dark
is pressing in
all around me