Sound (a poem about cochlear implants)

Lost.

No one wants to feel like they're lost.

When belonging is what I want most,

I wonder why I'm alone. The immensity crushes me.

Can't you see?

I'm not deaf. I'm not hearing.

Where do I go?

What do I have to show?

On the outside I smile, but inside I'm struggling

To go another mile. Every single day is a trial.

But I push through. My family stays true

And stays by my side whether it’s to guide

Or to support me. So I may be lost,

But I will always find my way.

Even though I don’t fit in the deaf world,

Or the hearing world,

I do fit in one world. Mine.

It may sometimes be hard,

But this has made me strong.

I can still enjoy songs.

I can still hear my dad whistle.

I can hear my sisters shout for me.

I can hear my dogs barking for me.

I can hear a mighty waterfall cascading down.

I can hear birds in the woods call out to each other.

I can hear the laughter at family dinner.

I can hear my mom’s comforting voice and know I’m not alone.

Her soft and gentle tone

Pulls me out of my troubles.

So can I really complain?

I may feel alone, but I have to remind myself

If my parents didn't give me the gift of sound,

I wouldn't hear songs.

I wouldn’t hear my dad’s whistle.

I wouldn’t hear my sisters or my dog.

I wouldn't hear the waterfall crashing down.

I wouldn't hear the birds calling to each other.

I wouldn’t hear my family’s laughter.

And I wouldn’t hear my mom’s voice.

I can’t take any of it for granted,

I might have not had that choice.

The world is beautiful, not only in the eye of the beholder,

But in the ear too.