Do I hide my eyes behind these tarnished windows,
these shields of convex inexpensive plastic, 
bounded in by slightly rounded copper walls
that soon leap behind and wrap themselves
about my ears?

Like telescopes and microscopes, these gates do bring me closer 
in upon a world of unimaginable beauty, complex, objectifiable, 
and material.  They empower me to quantify and understand
just how the universe resculpts itself with every turn of day and night.
They forge a bridge with fellow travelers upon this road, a
stigma to commiserate, a marker to help separate
from others less inclined to look in detail at this world of unimag....

But when in tryst with other fellow ugly bags of mostly
salt and water, these lens turn themselves upon their tails
and into focus comes an undiscovered country, distant and
incomprehensible.  Looking backwards through my 
telescope, I painfully perceive my neighbors
and search in vain for words to share.