SOLITARY

                       SOLITARY

To be deaf
Means more than not to hear,
It means being locked out,
Shut up,
Confined
In a room designed for one
And no bigger.

To be deaf
Means watching lips,
Becoming expert on mouths
That shout
Or slur,
So that it is impossible to hear
What anyone is saying.

To be deaf
Means walking in silence,
Yet hearing music
From speechless eyes,
Soundless operas
Pouring over deaf ears,
Flowering the emptiness.
                        © Gwen Grant