Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Life, Or So I Hear

By Joseph Hesch

Since the doc unlocked my ears
from decades of solitary confinement,
I've emerged into a world
I forgot existed and
hadn't fully lived in.
Just over the trees,
I discover the distant rolling
of the highway. It's my roiling surf,
shushed now and then by the windblown
prickly pines guarding
this museum of natural history.
The 18-wheel waves crash on and on,
and quieting them must be like
pacifying the Atlantic.
Now I hear the crows,
black commas punctuating fields
and their cawing dialogue
with the songbirds' trills.
A herd of boys hollering a game of soccer
edits those exchanges, deleting
the avian speech and replacing it with
ill-fitting, awkward profanity.
All I've missed because of my deafness
overwhelms me now, like I'm one
of those trapped miners
reborn into the harsh brightness of day.
I wonder if all this time I spent
in the muffling shadows
made me invisible to you and the world
because I couldn't hear it and
couldn't understand you.

9 comments:

  1. wow...to have ones senses awakened again...what a treat...probably a bit overwelming too...it opens up a whole new world of understanding...

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  2. oh wow - this is certainly an experience - can be read in both ways - physical and psychical.. last two lines are fantastic

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  3. I was with you in your silence, and in the bombarment that came with the rebirth of your awakening. This very REAL piece is so bursting with honesty, colour, life, and sound! I love how you see the surroundings as your ocean, the big rigs as your waves. She is a constant muse, and so sad that you had to miss any of it. We communicate with so much more than sound, I am confident that very few made you invisable. I like this Joe, very much :)

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  4. Striking poem in both visual and sound description; though what I liked best was the infusion of writing/revision conventions throughout—a great added layer.

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  5. Great description of the power of sound!

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  6. i liked... i'd remove the doc ... to allow reader to assume the situation(s)...

    my ears have been unlocked

    great job joe... :)

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  7. Hi Joseph

    Well I am sure its a great joy to connect with it all.. I liked the way you compared to the mine underground and visually you created a sound of coming out and having the blast of new born sense hit full on the face.. Thanks for sharing.. i liked it.

    ॐ नमः शिवाय
    Om Namah Shivaya
    http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/2011/03/whispers-seed-and-senseless-living.html
    At Twitter @VerseEveryDay

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  8. Great story...and wonderfully communicates the experience. vb

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  9. wow the intensity of such an awakening--your rich imagery gives a window onto a universe i could otherwise never imagine. strong write.

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