He lives each day in darkness
In a world that knows no light
Wonderfully created
A servant without sight
Some would say his blindness
Is a disability
But they don’t know the man
Behind the eyes that cannot see
It’s only through the darkness
That he came to see the Son
It’s only though his blindness
That he sees the victories won
He touches hearts like no one can
For he sees beyond the skin
He reaches past the outer core
To the beauty that lies within
Equipped by God and gifted
He sees himself as blessed
Not hindered by imperfect eyes
He wants to give his best
Made special in his Maker’s sight
Though he has none of his own
Giving God the glory
For the seeds that he has sown
© Ruby Neumann
Poet's Note: Today, I am sharing a poem I wrote almost 25 years ago. Today, I got to remember a man I got to know who left an imprint on my life. Today, I was given a link to his obituary. He passed away in 2009. So today, I will post his poem as my way of remembering him.
In the summer of 1996, I got the opportunity to volunteer at Camp Chamisall in the Waiporous Valley. I was working at that time at the Colpitts Dairy farm in Springbank (in the outskirts of Calgary). Camp Chamisall operated it's summer program on volunteer staff. Each week there was a new collection of counsellors, program staff, camp director, cooking staff. It gave more people the opportunity to be a part of camp.
Wally Brown was someone I met at camp. Wally was a regular at Camp Chamisall. He was a story teller. I wish I had a collection of his stories. They were a highlight of my time there.
I titled this poem "Batman" because that was Wally's name at camp. Chamisall does something with their staff that I have never seen at any other camp. They give them camp names when they first come on staff at camp and those names stay with them for the journey of their time at Chamisall. Batman was Wally's camp name, because Wally was blind. He wasn't born blind, his sight loss was because of diabetes. I found this excerpt in Wally's obituary.
"Wally lost his sight in 1971 due to complications of diabetes, and although he faced adversity, he courageously persevered. Wally will be fondly remembered for having an incredibly positive outlook on life, regardless of the enormous challenges he faced."
It was one week, and it was twenty five years ago, but so much of my experience there was a beautiful one, because of him. I remember sitting with him at the dining hall table and just talking about him. I remember wanting to see inside his world. I remember him sharing his joys and his challenges with me. I even got a chance to go and visit him at his home in Calgary. He never ceased to impress me with his courage and joy.
Thank you Batman...I never want to forget you. Love Butter Cup
