A World Out of Focus

I wear my glasses to see the world clearly—
the streets, the colours, the faces, the people.

Yet sometimes, I take them off.
Not because my vision no longer matters,
but because some things are easier to bear when blurred.

The judgment in a stranger's eyes,
the disappointment on familiar faces,
the reactions I am not ready to confront.

Through the lens, I see the world.
Without it, I find a moment of shelter from it.

                                                           — MaoMao