Hearing
Hearing Quiet, quiet...full of quiet. I hear (thank God!), but the world is more muffled now. An ocean rages in my right ear like the immenseness of sound caught in the cavity of a shell. It distracts me, but seeing as how the wind is always there I could view it as a companion. *Everything depends on how we see it. This is my hearing now. This is my life. On the street I can still hear the sirens, still sense the humming of public works, still feel the pushing of the bus as it roars to a stop. I just may stare and blink as you speak. I may ask you to repeat. Or not. Many people do (or don't). My grandfather did. It's not a tragedy. My ear is all folded inside, there isn't enough space to hear fully. Ear plugs pop out and ear phones don't sit comfortably so they slide out. On a bus trip I became frustrated and kept trying to stuff them in my ear uselessly until I gave up. I realized I could listen with my left ear, leaving the right ear phone to sit in my lap. Maybe I...