By Glenn Dromgoole

My grandfather was a gentle and loving man who went blind at the age of forty or so. He died when I was sixteen, but I’ve never forgotten him.

Tap.   Tap.   Tap.
Slow. Deliberate.
One tap. One step.
Another tap. Another step.
Feeling his way. Carefully. Gently.
His cane announces his coming.
Tap.   Tap.   Tap.

He cannot see me, this gentle man,
Robbed of sight before I was born.
But he takes me on his lap.
And he hugs me.
And we go for walks together.
My tiny hand in his loving hand.
His cane in his seeing hand.
Tap.   Tap.   Tap.

He touches my face with his hands.
He touches my heart with his kindness.
He touches my soul with his strength.
An old man who will never know my face.
A young boy who will never forget his.
Or the steady beat of his big heart
When he holds me close.
Tap.   Tap.   Tap.

Glenn Dromgoole is the author of 35 books, including Just Happy to Be Here and a collection of upbeat short stories, Coleman Springs USA. He and his wife Carol own Texas Star Trading Company in downtown Abilene.