The Lesson

by Darragh the Poet

Now that wasn’t all that hard, was it?

Now if she just knew the half of it.

 

Awaken by a wrapping at my door

Taken from me this day the norm

I stumble and trail myself to the door

Eyes plundered from sight months before

 

Greetings from a teacher, from a friend, greetings from a Godsend.

Reluctance from a student, from a cripple, irritance I can’t mend.

Hands shaken and accolades shared

but its for this day I am unprepared

 

Elbow in hand she guides me to my chair

As I trace her arm down to where my back rests fair

She tells me of my new life to come and how it shall be

But right now I can’t see anything so whats the point for me

 

Venturing to the car as sounds creep in I hear the days battles

What awaits for me out there but chatters

My small view on a world so exspansive

No conformation of the steps ahead of me

 

Sitting in her car as we travel into the depths of hell as my head begins to swirl

The window lowered while my sub-conscious unknowingly absorbs the speaking world

Approaching our destination from circles traveled and many stops passed

Finally coming to rest in a place no more framiliar than the memories to come everlast

 

I step out from the car into this new jungle, this new planet

Unfold my cane using two tap skim to fan it

Back and fourth in step to find my shoreline

Barking dogs, speeding cars, footfall of people are combined

 

I pause to listen to the world speak to me

As I hear a new way that is to be me

Wall of cars in the street stampeding by on the road like a herd of wild animals running by on their path to a hunt.

 

Crossing signals chirpping high above on light poles like birds in the amazon singing in rain forrest trees from above.

She stands beside me and says this to me

Now that wasn’t all that bad, was it?

 

I begin my trek through this jungle amungst the trees and wild beasts

Carving pathways and ruts to follow a path unseen

Stampeding animals to my left and mountain sides on my right

And it is my dime tip telling me where to go

 

Pedestrians walking by in line in pace with life

like soldiers marching to the neighboring kingdom on looking to us as though we were an oddity not to speak as to give away our obvious blindness and disability.

Rather a commodity and a new ability

 

Tapping sounds off sides of objects

Echoing down tunnels and off deadly cliff edges

Wind gusts breaking through openings and shadow sounds hiding in the dark

Marching soldiers gaulking in awe as I alone conquer a new kingdom

 

An internal uprising to rebel against vision

My ears lead my feet as my cane makes  the split descision

A root exposed in the pathway and my feet graze over

Curb edges keep me in line as I carve my own path

 

Parking meters say hi as I pass and light poles hum their tunes

I come to the curbcut and its domed dots of declaration

Wind of cars in stride intersected by crossing sounds of vehicles

I did it, I made it one city block I finally proclaimed this.

 

Now that wasn’t all that hard, was it?

Now if she just knew the half of it.

 

Darragh became totally blind after a head trauma in 2004.  He says that a lot of his writing has his visions as a blind person that he sees in people or dreams.   You can see more of Darragh’s poetry own at www.welcometodarragh.blogspot.com.

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