Asked but unsure how much din a new deafness from me hid I saw my ear-self filtered onto a decibel-graded grid. Its off-kiltered raw and linear score code-answered me (not less, not more) math\trig\geometric'ly.

Almost a Limerick

A census-taker named Brady once interviewed a fair lady. Her reputation? Well... shady. When finished with their business, she caused the man some dizziness off'ring him boudoir permissiveness. But the gentleman wasn't senseless or defenseless, and so he withdrew for, as all of us know is true: one never end a census with a proposition!

Deafness and Eye

Because one of us can hear we stand -- you and I -- at opposite ends from each other face to face, eye to eye yet feeling far and full of fear. Still we're family-linked by a line not of blood like sister or brother but by sound-free sight and sign and though neither of us can hear it we're two-gethered here by spirit.

Deafness Lite

So slight is the bereftness of my belated ear-fault that "Deafness Lite" became the name that I call it. In a simpler word: things heard are blurred on the left as well (or as weakly) as right. Neither half's loss is a matter too drastic both partly "cured" by batteries in plastic. But if eyeing such signs of silence, Hearer, or (harder to do) spying a less visible clue try, by turning your speech slow and clearer to reach those few who must communicate anew. And so that is why as their advocate I ask you unafflicted this: Make me your talking's target and practice, practice, practice. Address then the wise assistive eyes of sisters and brothers with hindered ear and so come to know, then to de-stranger-ize those kindred other souls who less than I can hear. Repeat, reword and patience may reward you, not by some sense of the charity kind but by sharing the very daringest adventure: eyes meeting eyes and mind mating with mind.

Deaf Penalty

From the debt and depth of my recent deaf-icit come social crosses, big and small. Which is the largest loss of all? A child's whispered secret.

Dialog Minus One

If a forest-tree falling in a vacuum beyond the reach of ear-thly record can be argued to crash there unheard then I ask: Regardless of vigor or volume does mouth-calling wildly word after word at those among us we know are deaf-ear'd sending not even a single signal to 'em -- does such verbal violence bruit enemy of silence (we lacking the wonder-waters of Lourdes) deserve the linguistic label of "words"?

Hardly Hearing

When vigorous voices sound as whispers, what to weakened ears is a whisper but wind? Yet (you ask) if lenses lend vistas to faulty vision, can't batteried ears fix failing lobes? No -- for opticals also face obstacles beyond their correcting power: the anti-sight of nightness, glare, smoke, and blur. Neither can crutches or wheeled chairs though lessening limps eliminate or level hills or ruts or stairs. Equal are blockages deaf kindreds bear (invisibly, so less clearly) asking mouthers merely: pronunciate please to ear-free me.

Meeting Mr. Goodear

There once was a ma'mselle bereft of hearing but not on her left. Her beau, silenced samely, balanced things gamely since he was all right on his right. As a pair they were both very bright and at trading places so deft that, to their dual efforts due, best friends never guessed much less ever knew that of this clever two either had ever been deaf'd!

Ellis Island

enduring listening learning-- immigrants smiled, interim silent languages alphabetizing new dreams.

Teach Me

Teach me, target of my inglish mutedly class-sequestered here with globe-gathered kindreds wrestling, all, with rules and rote that only academics defend as sense. You, foster son of silence and you, Deaf's adopted daughter as turn-about tutor, model for me by your wisdom, the weakness of words by your laughter, the limits of logic by your feelings, the fallacy of fact by your talent, the treachery of test. In deciphering me, be master of me. Become of my tongue a finder of its flaws of our common culture, reminder of its laws. You who to English are new let your first-language youth whether full of words or free lend me latter-language truth ultra-linguistically. Teach me, learners, do. Teacher your teacher you.

Limerick Latino

Hector had hoped that the fair senorita (who was anything but a shrew) would, eye to eye, verify his feelings and salute him with tu. His wishes, though inwardly pleaded, --que lastima--all went unheeded. In fact his tactic badly backfired as she reacted with a tired usted. Defeated, our Spanish roméo retreated without an Olé. So he came to the United States where he prayed more favorable fates there y a different linguistic muy equalistic would serve him anew con dual-purpose "you." Entonces, as love's luck would have it, that idiom's second-person habit bobbed up like a cork in foreign New York in the form of a born-here American, porque whom should he meet (and feel good off his feet) but Evita, a sweet Puerto Rican. Evita soon ended his anguish of a vida spent lonely and single for--Dios be praised-- they ambos were raised to be supple in more than one language. Now as a result, hay cause to exult: this couple was non-monolingual!

Ditty

Semper Fi Marine am I Fashioned by my DI San Dye-ego or PI Gal or guy, bold or shy Float or fly, sea or sky Wet or dry, head held high Eye to eye -- do or die Sailor guy or ex-GI Family or no such tie Marching private Quiet corpsman Even so-called Sea-goin' doorman Far or nigh Curse or sigh None deny: Sir, aye aye Marine am I Semper Fi !

Gung Ho Guys

Rule the skies? That's no prize: There's diddly there but empty air. Seize the seas? Do as you please if catches of fishes matches your wishes. What's hellishly hard is, yard by yard in foe-infested Burma or Seoul to take control of terra firma. Whatever the stealth of our hi-tech tools, "mano a mano" decides who rules. For, securing a base, who fights better than an in-your-face Marine bayonetter? Yo! In time of war today or yore there's nary a force more ready to score than your hell-for-leather Leatherneck Corps!

The New Man Rap

Private Ben Franklin Roosevelt Jones used to be nothin' but skin and bones till he upped and joined the United States Marines who built and bulked him up on S-O-S and beans. Now in his dress blues instead of sloppy jeans he's the pride of Parris Island and his brother Marines. And when he goes to town every local lovely moans "There's Corporal Ben Franklin Roosevelt Jones!"

Brotherly Love

The pain He suffered on a cross the Berrigans proffered in prison paying with their bodies the price of protest too costly for others of us: Philip the Josephite, militarily Daniel the Jesuit, theatrically their up-payment toward purchase of a peace-preserving justice a justice-serving peace. Spoiling for a fight (both siblings knew) is like oiling a fire to give you more light.

Of September 11
(Do the Math)

Within those towering twins fell too many a soul to their undeserving fates-- a twice terrible toll that doubles our pain but triples our resolve: Never never never again. Still let us not in our straits stoop to the error of dividing ourselves by multiplying the sum of terror suffered here times terror inflicted there compounding the error of terror Ground Zero to Infinity

Capitol (sic) Punishment
(Murder, They Vote)

"Life is sacred," said the no-name no-shame legislator, "which is why we have to have the death penalty." Kill the killers, they rave -- those politicians who with their cruel and unusually callous crew show us not that justice is blind but that due to their view and those of their kind they suffer a form of moral myopia in their cynical search for electoral utopia. Slay the slayers, rule they -- the instant solution on their social agendas for gradual diminution of minority pollution. Then judging some public problem as horrendous they pass a law correcting that flaw and seeking self-fame, they lend it their name. To murder innocents they, poll-approved, are willing and perform more coolly the very act of killing they claim criminal others go about so cruelly: juries the blood of brothers spilling legally and lethally by toxic shot, benignly, minus rifle, rope, or kill-o-watt but stilling all hope as finally.

Eye Contact

Though close as the stem of an i to its dot still I contact, you contact, we contact not till twin-dividuals mate via intercourse of vision as when paired I's fuse and refuse their di-vision. For, of the other four (or five) of our senses which is more alive than that of our lenses? So set the soul's iris from its private night free: use your two eyes to more than sight-see lest I contact, you contact, we contact not though close as the stem of an i to its dot.

Vocal Advice

Never come poems person-composed nor do their emotions happen to happen for, whether penned as passion or prayer, lightning-like they strike. Formed as much by wit as by word reflecting more of mood than of mind striving less for sense than for sound equal either as passion or prayer, poetry's power is a singular thing as distant from mischievous verse and from long-winded prose verbose as differ the upright hands of noon from midnight's twelve o' the clock. So remember, you writer of lyric, creator and creature of music, whatever concept inspiration may bring no matter its content, context, or form make of this precept your constant norm: A poem ought not to say but to sing.

Ultimacy

Mind much as eye knows true rest when fixed upon infinity where, favoring the afar both view best limit-free ultimacy.