John Bennett

I Could Not Look

I could not look
Into the pearltwisted eyes
Of the blind

I mumbled good evening
To his tie

I felt the hand shaking mine
Was reading Braille secrets
From my fingers
I thought guiltily of
Kaleidoscopes sunsets
Grottos and rainbows

What will you drink
I asked his wristwatch
Ice melted
In black Russians and whiskey sours
And the guide dog
Settled in a corner
And went to sleep

But Haydn and Mozart
Were being played
And we briefly shared the same vision

Goodnight goodnight
I said to his jacket
As I left

It was dark
So dark outside

First appeared in New Plains, 2009.

Born in England. Came to US and worked as an ambulance EMT.  Creative Writing at New York University.