THE MIRACLE OF MY FIVE SENSES
By Amparo Jaramillo-Restrepo

 In order to enjoy the world
With its explosion of colors,
Its sounds and its aromas,
People, things, texture, and shapes,
I was given my five senses.
 

THE SIGHT
 
With my SIGHT I see the flowers,
Clouds, oceans, kites, balloons
And learn about the world
Reading my favorite books.
Enjoy the TV and the movies
The stars, the moon and the sun,
Can recognize all the faces
Of my relatives and friends
And enjoy with great delight
My funny pets’ pirouettes.

THE HEARING

With my HEARING I perceive
Guitars, trills, crying, songs.
The noisy trains, cars and planes,
The love call of the cicadas
And the voices of my friends.
With my hearing I can listen
To sirens, bells and alarms
Learn to say “I love you”
In Spanish, English, French,
And enjoy the children’s laughter
When they get out to play.
 

THE TOUCH

With the TOUCH, another sense
Nested on my finger tips
And the surface of my skin,
I can perceive many things
That my ears never capture
And my eyes can’t never see.
If water is hot or cold,
If my pillow is hard or soft,
Kisses, embraces and strokes,
If the air is cool or warm,
Velvet, wrinkles, silk and thorns.
 

THE SMELL

Inside my noses is hidden
The fourth sense we call SMELL.
It brings me the sweet aromas
Of lilacs, roses, and jasmines.
The smell of pineapples, mangos,
The glory of pies, and fresh bread,
The smell of grass in the air,
Pastries, chicken, meat and fish,
And warns me without delay
When food is rotten or spoiled.
 

THE TASTE

In my tongue which is a miracle
Covered by tiny buds-tastes
is located my fifth sense.
With the TASTE I perceive things
That my ears never capture
And my eyes can never see.
The sweet taste of cakes and pies
Ripe fruits, sugar, and ice cream,
If the soup has too much salt.
If the juice is sweet or sour,
And my salty tears’ taste.

In order to enjoy the world
I was given my five senses.

I can’t HEAR with my nose
nor can I SEE with my ears.
Nor can I TASTE all the goodies
TOUCHING with my finger tips.
Nor can I SMELL all the flowers
Using the light of my eyes.

But I can SEE the vast blue ocean
I can TOUCH it with my hands
LISTEN its waves with my ears
SMELL it in the wind
And SAVOR its salty water
When I’m playing on the beach.

In order to enjoy the world
With its explosion of colors
Its sounds and its aromas
Flowers texture and its shapes
I was given my five senses.
What a miracle this is!