The Blind Man (2009)
by Don Robertson, from "Ripples in Time"
I was headed into Paris on the metro,
When at a station stop
A blind man
Tapped his way onto my car.
He wore an old greasy coat and had
Long knotty dreadlocks cascading down his back.
His blind eyes were twisted, one pointing upward,
And he had several large warts on his face.
As he inched forward, he reached to grab a strap,
But the train lurched and he lost his balance
Just a little - enough that he nearly collided
With two men seated near the door.
The blind man (or maybe it was a woman,
I could not tell) regained control carefully
And respectfully, then found a pole to grasp
As one of the seated men he had touched looked up.
When this man beheld the blind man’s face,
He recoiled in disgust,
And jumping up quickly, he left his seat
For parts unknown.
No one took the empty seat
Near the blind man,
Although several people were standing and
Probably thought about it.
The blind man continued his vigil
Next to the empty seat,
Quietly clutching the pole
Near the doorway of the car.
The train entered and left stations and
I imagined that the blind man was counting them
So he would know exactly
When to get off.
Then from the back of the car
I heard a voice calling out
In a French patois
That I did not understand.
The voice grew closer
As the person approached
The front of the car
Where I was seated.
When I looked over,
I saw that it was a young woman
Who was maigre and thin,
Covered with piercings and tattoos.
I realized that she was asking for money,
Because a few people
Were plunking change
Into her outstretched hand.
When she came to the blind man,
His hand automatically reached into a pocket.
And he quickly produced a large coin,
Gently placing it into her hand.
His reaction was so automatic
(Yet genuine)
That I assumed he kept the coins in that pocket
Just for this purpose.
Il y a un micro monde qui exist
Dans la ligne 4
Du metro de
Paris.
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