Perception is everything-
And nothing.
Perception clouds our minds-
And clears them.
Perception dictates
The direction we take
Upon entering a room,
And can be changed
By the sound of a beating heart.
Perception allows us
To see the big picture-
And helps us focus
On the tiniest of details.
Perception is as universal
As the sky above us,
And as individual
As fingerprints.
Perception doesn't change
How we see, but how we think.
And there will always,
No matter how hard we try
To change it,
Be a major difference
Between what we see,
And what we perceive.
Originally published in Painting Pictures - Poeticals and Prosaics by J.L. Carruthers (changed my penname after publication).