Filling in the Blanks

(from Brainstorms)

Studies show that most people,
when looking at a familiar word
that is missing a letter,
interpret that missing letter
and don’t notice that it’s not there.

Most of our universe is space
and yet I see
and perceive things to be
Solid.
Liquid.
Gas.

My mind fills in the blanks.
Is that how it is between you and me,
that we can share an experience
and then go on to tell such different stories about it?

Are we filling in the blanks
with our biases and expectations,
letting our perceptions color our interpretations,
without stepping back to recognize
the lens through which we are judging?

What will it take to notice the missing letters?

Photo by Arjun Seth