Unseeing and Unseeable?

Last night was the Davis Code Pink gathering, where we (mostly women) wear pink, sing songs, recite poetry, and whackily try and interest passersby in alternatives to war. We were lucky to have Annie last night who is an undergraduate at UC Davis, but also a poet and songwriter with a hauntingly beautiful voice.

We were packing up to leave when a woman with a stroller approached. She was wearing a hijab. Not just a hijab, either: the full-on Saudi head and face veil. She seemed disappointed we were leaving, so a few of us stayed behind to chat. She was so pleased there were still people protesting the madness of the illegal war on Iraq. Her accent was far more American than mine—and when I told her Annie had read some poetry, she produced at least five poems of her own. I read one. I was stunned by the beauty of her words.

I introduced her to Natalie, our local Code Pink organizer. I should explain that Natalie is blind as well as confined to a wheelchair, so she couldn’t see Maria’s hijab. What happened next was extraordinary.

I mentioned once again the Campus Community Book Project for the fall: Mark Juergensmeyer’s Gandhi’s Way. Natalie scowled and said the book wasn’t available on tape so she couldn’t read it. Maria said well, I’ll record it for you, I’ve just finished working at the Student Disability Center. Great, said Natalie, though I think someone’s already doing it. Thank you. Maria’s hijab came up. Is your hijab pink? No, it’s black and mint green… But Adam’s sippy cup is pink, I said. Don’t tell me you aren’t good with kids, said Natalie to me, I know you just picked it up. And how you were with that child.

Riding home with tears in my eyes, I saw the gibbous moon perfectly in line with Scorpius, as though it were the giant head of a dragon. I don’t think I’d have noticed it if it hadn’t been for these two women and their conversation. They were teaching me to see.

What if this lesson could be taught across the world? It’s quite simple: open your heart. You might be surprised by what you see there. It certainly involves more than just your eyes.