Blind men at the gym

Sydney Blue Gum

5. blind men at the gym

first I saw the dog then the form of a man threading its way

noiselessly through the close-packed forest of gym machines

I called him mate told him there were only two of us this morning

watched his fingers flutter over the holes of the weight stack

insert a pin before he began to use the DUAL AXIS ROW machine

satisfied that he was independent and gym-trained not to stare

at others I faced the wall to work the ABS CRUNCH then moved

to the HIPS where lying on my side I became concerned my sudden

backward flexing could cause him injury even as he fixed my location

by sound I placed him by the tinkling clink to be on the OBLIQUE

surprising myself there were things I knew without knowing

that I knew now I was tuned to the machines’ unique metallic voices

the clanks and clunks of moving weights the grinding gears the strain

of cables all came to the fore of my consciousness as if we were two

men moving in a dark room with only sounds to place the other

under supervision by the dog a living talisman for our protection

now at rest but instantly alerted by a low-waved hand

signalling a move between machines apparently along

a predetermined path still incomplete as I left the gym freshly aware

of the scuff of shoes on concrete the diverse engine tones of cars

the patter of little feet the dry scratch of a wind-blown leaf on pavement

and from somewhere near the tiny cymbal crash of dropped keys

(Westerly)