You Don't Need Eyes to Mentor
Nobby was a father figure and mentor. Jackee's Ode to Nobby is written in admiration of the impact he continues to have on her life today.
Mentoring makes us
Vision Without Eyes
1. We would often walk down Main Street
Me as his guide and eyes
Stopping to talk with those we would meet
About the world, the weather, and times.
2. An accident had caused his sight to fail
From his land, he'd had to go
To live in a town seemed so different
From the life, he had grown to know.
3. I learned to love him through the years
Replacing a father, I hardly knew
We would sit for many hours at a time
His life stories told were too few.
4. Cattle and sheep, horses, and dogs
Was part of a life he had known
Where time was the ruler, and seasons the calendar
And you reaped from all you had sown.
5. Time and boredom were now on his hands
His days were so long and so dark
From an active life to sitting still
The contrast seemed so stark.
6. From his old songbook, we would choose
The latest from when he was a lad
I too would join in the chorus
The Irish ballads seemed so sad.
7. He was my inspiration
My mentor and my friend
He taught me all I would need to know
From beginning through to the end.
8. Old Nobby was a gentleman
His sense of humor was never lost
I’ll never forget him, nor would I want
'Cos time couldn't count the cost.
9. If only he could see me now
I’m sure that he’d be proud
I would love to hear his gentle voice
Saying “Jackee, let’s go walking now.
© 2021 Jackee Ashwin
