POEM 12: Aphantasia

Did you know, my beloved

That when I close my eyes

I cannot see your face?

Your plump, inviting lips

Crystal eyes, pointed nose

Your flushed cheeks, your eyelashes

Your rose-colored glimmer?

My mind's eye cannot eye

Witness, savor nor see

Your angelic visage

Your swift, sleek drop-dead stare

Any of your magic

The beauty you behold.

I shut my eyes just once,

then a bare river flows.

But when I sleep at night,

It's your face I dream of,

our sunrise coffee cups,

our sunset-stained meetups,

And our starlit graveyards.

Awake, I can't see you.

Asleep, still I love you.

My mind's eye is blindly

A follower of grace

A temple of your love.

When I can't see your face

But I can feel your heart

That's when I know for sure

that I love you more than

your fresh, vivid colors.

After all, my love for you

Exceeds what meets the eye.

Written 8th April, 2021.

Poem copyright © 2021 by Peter Ryuken B. Hermosura, “Aphantasia”

Author's Annotations

In medical science, aphantasia is an unofficial medical condition or syndrome that involves the loss of the mind's eye. This means that anyone who is suffering from aphantasia cannot see images when his/her eyes are closed. Remarkably, people with aphantasia cannot or find it hard to imagine and remember faces.

As a person who has this condition, Aphantasia is a vow to my future special someone that I will admire and love her for who she is, not for what she looks like. It is a feverish love poem that portrays love that transcends aphantasia itself.