Powhatan man becomes published poet despite his dyslexia, touching thousands with his words

Among those tasked with delivering inspiration is 75-year-old Tom Walton.

Unable to sing "a lick" in his own words, the Powhatan native writes and reads original poetry instead.

"This morning I said, 'You know what? I'm going to read the last three poems in the book. Then next time I can start over,'" Walton said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Gale Taylor added Walton to the senior day program almost eight years ago after meeting him at the YMCA.

"I met Tom at the YMCA and we've been sisters and brothers ever since," Taylor said. "He read a poem while I was on the treadmill, and we just moved it on from then."

No matter the place, Walton uses poetry to connect with people.

"The written word has power," Walton said.

Each line is a product of time the retired agriculture teacher sp