I hear the bustle of people on their way to work
I hear the pitter-patter of squirrels as they lurk.
I hear the rustle of the wind, I hear a bird go 'cheep'
I hear a motorbike rumble, I hear beetle creep.
I go up to my mother and gesture with my hands
I say 'It's time for school', I hope she understands
I guess she did, as she sets some oatmeal on the floor,
"Enjoy your meal," she smiles and says, " Tell me if you want more".
My mother cannot hear me, no matter what I say
She's deaf, absolutely, we speak in the gestures way.
My dad walks down the stairs in his trademark groggy stride
"Good morning!" he gestures and stands by my mother's side.
I change into my school clothes, and "Thumbs up! I'm done!"
I wave goodbye and grab my bag as to the bus I run
I remember that day so well, I had plugged in my phone
Wore my costly headphones, sitting all alone.
Engaged in a rock song, other sounds cancelled out,
Prob'ly why I didn't hear it when it came about.
The army was trying out a defense that was new
A sound to deafen their enemies, but they bit more than they could chew
They tested it prematurely, an uncontrolled blast of sound
Burst out of the army base, around the world it wound.
It deafened people around the globe, nobody could now hear
It travelled fast, you couldn't hide, people lived in fear.
It crossed our town quite early, while that song still played,
The entire town went deaf then, a soundless future made.
Those noise-cancelling earphones saved my ears that day
My life though, had turned for the worse, my world seemed to go grey.
I could hear, but nobody else, I had learned to speak
In gestures, but I was known as an oddball freak.
While everyone else spoke with hands, I alone could hear
Every word and every sound be it happiness or fear
Anyway, I digress, I climbed aboard the bus
I heard whispered voices and an insult, "You're a wuss!"
I slumped into the back seat, surrounded by jeers
Spitballs, and paper planes, and sneaky meany leers.
How can you blend in, when you were meant to stand out
When nobody can hear you, even when you shout?
When your life becomes as bleak and barren as winter skies
When only you can hear nature and the buzzing of the flies
Ostracized by society, turned into a freak
Swore at, beaten up all the time, am I really that weak?
The teachers all speak in gestures, I'm an outcaste in the clan
I really try to blend in, Trust me, I do all I can
Am I really that different? I'm honestly just like you
Don't kick me out and make my life full of a greyish hue
The teacher writes, I look at her, the students look at me
As a weirdo in the school, Deaf I wish to be
No matter what I try to bear, a part of me just cries
To be deaf like the rest of them, free from disparaging eyes.
I live through school in this way, every single day
Please let them accept me, every day I pray
In his Almighty's magnificent frieze
I fervently beg, please give me peace!
While my role in the cosmos is little but a speck
This insignificant life is reminiscent of heck.
I was actually normal, I prob'ly still am
Then why to you treat me like washed-up flotsam?
At home, I sit alone, feeling depressed
I always feel like crying but my tears are suppressed
Avoided like the plague, writhing in languish
In the darkness of my soul, I see nothing but anguish
My life of implication, insinuation and ill will
Seeped in sorrow and woe, till I cannot lie still
Blanketed in swathes of hatred and animosity
"But wait!" I think, "Must I wallow in self-pity?"
What if I accepted my role in the world
As an anomaly, my plan unfurled
I would fight against critics, play dice with cruel fate
make a name for myself, put an end to this hate
Different I was, and different I'd stay
I'd turn a new leaf, dawn of a new day.
I went to school the next day, with a spring in my shoes
I would never give up, no matter what I lose
They may be deaf, while I can hear
But it's time to accept that, and stop living in fear
Their leers and glances didn't penetrate
My conscience, and I hoped they'd abate.
Slowly but steadily, talking by hand
I'd made some friends, a dedicated band.
All are different, in all that they do
But the bonds between us are stronger than glue
And then I realized a lesson I'd found
That there are differences all around.
You need to rise, your barriers to break
To resolve your issues and a future you'll make
Don't look at differences, always be kind
Then you might discover a similar mind.
Trust me, as a guy who's unique
A positive mind is what you seek
If you just be normal and just be you
Your life will be filled with a vibrant hue.
Just hang in there, and if you end up like me,
Your life will always have ecstasy.
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