Response to “A Blind Woman"

"A Blind Woman" by Ted Kooser: The Poetry Foundation

     The light in the poem is compared to a rain. The light shining on the woman from her forehead to breasts like a rain wets her face and sweatshirt. It is a marvelous symbols and tropes. From the first three stanzas, we seem to see a woman who closes her eyes stands or walks under the sunshine facing up into light. 

     The fourth stanzas focus on the woman’s shoes. The light spots on her shoes is compared to mud spots that circus wagon wheels splashed. Later, the woman chases the wagon with pushing her cane. It is seen that she is a blind. She chases the wagon means she is pursuing light, because the wagon can bring her light. She uses cane to poke and prod to perceive bars. When she passes through these bars, she is on the way of pursuing bright. 

     The last line is significant. The blind woman pursues bright "while the world cowered back in a corner.” The world is totally black for a blind. Therefore, the black world is behind the woman while she walks forward to the bright, which looks like “the world cowered back in a corner.” Destiny traps the blind people in the black, forcing them to look forward to forever bright. It’s quite sad. Ted Kooser may feel sympathy for the blind woman but also admire their positive attitude towards life. Me, too.