David Steele:The Blind Poet
Dave Steele is a family man, a lover of music and in 2014 he found out he was going to go blind and there was nothing he could do about it. I cannot even begin to imagine what that is like, to go into the eye doctor in the prime of your life to see if you possibly needed glasses to finding out you were going to be to see for a year or two longer. Steele was diagnosed with a genetic condition called “Retinitis Pigmentosa” that caused his eyesight to rapidly deteriorate.
His parents both carried the gene which meant it gave his siblings a one in two chance of going completely blind and unfortunately for Steele and his sister they did not beat the odds. This meant the same odds apply two Steele's own two children so upon finding out his own diagnosis came the guilt of knowing his own kids could be subjected to the same fate.
Facing the inevitable loss of his job, piles of medical bills stacking ever higher , Steele found himself lost in the endless and sometimes inescapable sea of depression. Steele was still a musician , still had his craft, his wife, and all his children but he no longer felt the same burning passion for it.
That was until he was asked to perform for a support group for other blind people. He felt that his usual set of songs wasn't enough and that he would need to do something special to give back to his newly found community. Steele found himself up all night writing and editing the song “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King to better suit his own person's outlook on life and all the struggles he was forced to face head on. It was a hit and for the first time in forever Steele felt like he was understood and on the right path.
Steele did not just stop there; he went on to change more songs and eventually made a facebook group entitled “Stand By Me R.P.” to post his work. People in the blind community made his work take flight and soon he wasn’t just covering songs but writing them, and even began posting poetry and personal pieces on a daily basis.
He has released countless poems about his struggles, his hopes, his fears and I was moved to tears when I heard him in person.
He has multiple books and social media accounts so if you would like to read more id implore you to read the poem linked below, click the linked biography or watch something from his youtube channel.
David Steele's Biography
One of his 700 poems
Stand By Me RP
(I would recommend listening he has a lovely voice)
