What a blind person needs is not a teacher but another self. -- Helen Keller

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Was It Gay or Sorrow

"Happy Birthday to you,"-the trees, the bushes, the shrubs;
The ocean, the sea, the lake; the sky, the clouds, the air-
All sang up in chorus. The river came down running,
The tree bend over me and wave-not a bit proud,
The sky made way for happiness to reach my heart,
The cloud traveled to reach my zenith; all were animated-
The leaves stared at me, the waves tried to rush to me,
The river turned towards me, yes, just to annotate.
A tortoise crawled from a basky heap, the fish jumped
Higher than the waves and mingled in it duly,
A bird flapped its wings to let pass the air, to wish me,
A monkey chattered on a bough-I loved them all truly.
Even the rays tried to pass through the leaves to reach me.
I was measuring every move of every soul, I wasn't an animist before.
I could see the birds flying, fishes swimming, tortoise crawling.
They were many before, then score, but now only four.
Now I really felt their paucity. Even the sun did make way.
The waves did sedate, the leaves though present went to sleep,
Darkness spread over the vast sky, happiness seemed to fade-
All went far away leaving me alone to lament, to weep-
The trees, the bushes, the shrubs then, but now only darkness;
The ocean, the sea, the lake then, but now only darkness;
The sky, the cloud, the air then; but now only darkness;
The fishes, the birds, the tortoise then; but now only darkness.
I could feel a weak current of air on my left, rays on my right.
I took my stick and waded away with the hope of light.