I Saw a Blind Man Walking

I saw a blind man walking,

I know that he was blind,

He had a white stick, tapping.

Was he out of his mind?

At first, I wondered, maybe,

He really had some sight,

Because he stopped and turned his head,

Turning left, then right.

But then, he started tapping

And moving, stealthily away,

The ground, uneven beneath his feet,

And he began to stray.

I noticed, from within my car,

While waiting at the light,

He turned this way and that way

And my muscles became tight.

I watched him slowly maneuver through

An overgrown, abandoned street corner,

Bypassing a building and crumbling driveway,

Snow-covered clumps of grass, and more.

The poor fellow kept a-going,

I truly know not how,

He dodged trees and a signpost

With two, tall stakes in the ground. Wow!

My light turned green and I went on

And stopped at another red.

I truly hoped he’d make it  

To wherever his journey led.

I drove onto the highway,

As tears began to fill my eyes,

Remembering the man who could not see

With his very own, two eyes.

When times get tough and painful

And sorrows come my way,

I hope I’ll remember the courage

Of the blind man I saw today.

Precious Linda, c. 2013