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I. INAUDIBLES
A Deaf Baptism
A family of mallards
by a waterfall’s green ledge
paddling
preening
shivering off waterbugs.
A feather or two comes loose
and floats over the water’s edge.
Suddenly a duckling
chasing after a feather
flapping
jerking
toppling over the waterfall.
Lost, it struggles through
the curtain into the world of white water.
The Honeybee Epiphany
An autumn afternoon in first grade.
I felt a tickle behind my ear,
brushed it away. I must have yelped
because my teacher rushed over
and pointed to a honeybee on the floor.
I didn’t understand. She gestured
for me to take out my “things.”
I pulled out my hearing aids,
which emitted high-pitched feedback.
Everyone stared while she coated my ear
with baking soda. I looked at the dying bee,
not realizing that moment
would be the beginning
of many years of jeers
about my deafness.
Salt in the Basement
—An American Sign Language reverie in English
happen summer
me little, almost high wash-wash machine
down basement, me have blue car
drive drive round round
basement
me drive every corner
drive drive drive
then BOOM! me crash
there tall paper brown round
me get out car
look inside brown round tall
many many small small
white rock rock
small white rock rock
for-for?
me put white rock rock
in mouth
very very salty
same-same Grandma
mashed-mashed potato
me back inside blue car
drive drive round round
basement
happen winter
father down basement
go to brown round tall
father shovel big lump
there white rock rock
many white rock rock
father told me for-for
outside road
me ask again for-for?
me outside blue car, cold cold
drive drive straight straight
me watch father
white rock rock father throw throw
on walk-walk
father his brown car
throw white rock rock
throw round throw round
me ask father for-for?
father say for mother
white rock rock for mother?
me get out blue car
me look down white rock rock
burn burn hole many many
hole in ice
same-same ice in my lemonade
me jaw-drop
white rock rock rock
make hole in ice break-break
same-same make hole in my tummy?
that why me pee-pee
poo-poo always?
me no more eat
white rock rock
inside basement
me remember
mother year last
happen winter
mother outside
ice all-over
mother fall
arm broke
father told me
go down basement
stay stay
me inside blue car
drive round round
basement
Claustrophobic Audism of a Tenderfoot
Away at a mountaintop winter camp,
six Boy Scouts bunked in a cabin.
At lights-out, I lay awake,
numb and shivering,
stifled in my sleeping bag,
severed from conversation.
My hearing aids conveyed
other guys chattering into the night,
too dark to lipread.
They laughed often,
banging against bunk beds and boards.
I s...
