My View Of The World Poem by Alistair Graham

I watched a tall man walk into Iceland.
He held a white stick in his right hand,
The lead of the dog in the other.
He had a broad smile across his face

Once through the sliding doors, the dog
Turned immediately to the left
To guide the man
To the tills for assistance.

It was a sunny day. I wondered
If I was blind, would my worldview
Be as black as the man's Labrador?

The man and the dog stood waiting.
I sat in traffic at the junction
Thinking about a man's best friend
And the love and the trust between them
And how good they are for each other
And how they work to make each other happy
And that their future's bright together
And that's what's important.

I thought back to when I was a boy
Playing space invaders on the Shankill Road.
The games room was on the same side
As Glenwood Primary; 200 yards apart.
I could smoke indoors in those days
While I sat at a table to invade planets.
I remember the lady who watched the place
And gave out change for the machines.
I remember her because she watched me
Smoke cigarettes and push buttons.

"They'll stunt your growth son, " she said
"You'll stay the size you are now."
I smiled at her and said, "No I won't,
I'll grow as tall as I like, you'll see."
She smiled at me and I think she cared.
I think she was concerned about my future.

I was small for my age, as a boy.
I had little in me or on me.
I'm sure I was a sight for adult eyes
Cigarette between my lips; 10 years old.

The rain pelted the Shankill that day.
Maybe the lady thought my view of the world
Was as black as hell and I had given up
Aged ten, before I had the chance to begin.

The lady smiled again at me.
Was she thinking my future was bleak?
Thinking I had nobody to guide me?
Thinking I would wonder aimlessly all my life?

Maybe I'm a lucky boy.
I trust people and trust they trust me
I have people to love and people to love me
We work hard to make each other happy.
As far as I can see, our future's bright together.

I am now six foot tall. Regrettably I can see,
In my mind's eye, a continuous, universal screening:
The blind leading the blind.