How Far Can I See

By Daniel Helman Lee

When I first learnt

That carrots were good for eyes,

After each carrot, I’d go stand outside

And peer and squint, telling myself I’d sharpened my sight.

Every day I’d stand outside

Querying the horizon, daring the distance

To look me in the eye.

I was only five;

My mum thought, “Whatever makes her eat the carrots”

And stayed silent, though she’d chuckle inside.

If I could see the sea,

If I could see the sunset

Without taking a footstep,

That would be the dream.

If I could see the stars as more than specks in the sky

These billions of brilliant,

Brightly blazing fireflies, frozen,

If I could see them up close-

Well, who knows-

That might burn my eyes but-

I would’ve seen paradise.

But despite the abundance of carrots,

Despite a galaxy infinite,

My vision is limited

And can only see

What’s in front of me.

As I aged I learnt:

Everything becomes smaller when you grow taller

And that’s okay;

It’s okay to only see and discover

An infinitely small fragment

Of our infinitely large universe.

By Daniel Helman Lee