Blessings to a Woman I Don't Know

today I watched a mother guide
an adolescent boy into the
ladies room    he was blind
and he held his hands in front
of his body letting them make
repetitive movements in the air
I watched him guide his hands
under the water with his mother
telling him what a good job he did--
he never said a word or made a sound--
later I saw them leave the restaurant
just the two-- she stood behind him
guiding him with her arm while he
manipulated the air with his fingers
and i wondered about the silence
while they ate and if he enjoyed the meal