My parents have noticed my hearing is bad,

the doctors can’t figure it out.

Although I hear some words as clear as a bell,

there’re others my mom needs to shout.

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The loss of my hearing is random, at best,

for instance, I cannot hear “no”.

I struggle to hear, “Is your homework all done?”

or “Because I have told you so!”  

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Today, when my mother tried talking to me,

it sounded like, “Please make your bed.”

Her voice was distorted and so far away,

I couldn’t be sure what she said.

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Enjoyable words like “adventure” and cake

are perfectly clear in a whisper,                              

but others are languages foreign to me -

odd phrases like “share with your sister.”

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Whenever my parents say, “Stop that right now!”,

their words are confusing and blurred,

however, the bell on the ice cream truck?          

That’s a sound that can always be heard.  

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“Allowance” and “candy’ and “Saturday night,”

are words that grow sharper each day,            

but when I am told to get ready for school                          

my answer is, “What did you say?”

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My hearing does not seem to bother my dad,

he’s never surprised or astounded.

He carries around a big sign I can read,

with three simple words…

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“YOU ARE GROUNDED!”

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©Susan Jakubowski

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