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Ode to My Hearing Aids

Camisha L. Jones

Then God said

let there be sound

and divided the silence

wide enough for music

to be let in and it was a good groove

And God said

let there be overflow

sent sound in all directions

pin drops & children's laughter

phones ringing & plates clattering

and it was kind of good but too much at times

So God said

let there be volume control

let there be choice how loud life should be

and there came the power to fade

the voices, the annoyances, the noise

and that was mighty good for all the unnecessary drama

Then God said let there be surprise, startle even

at the bird's chirp, the ice maker,

the cabinet slammed shut

let there be delight

at the first calls in months

to father & best friend

and these were such good reasons for choking back tears

that God saw

the dark & the light

dangling brilliantly from each ear

and God whispered amen

then smiled when it was heard.

From Flare (Finishing Line Press, 2017). Copyright © 2017 by Camisha L. Jones. Used with the permission of the author.

Camisha L. Jones — Photo credit: Brandon Woods

Camisha L. Jones is the author of the chapbook Flare (Finishing Line Press, 2017). The recipient of a 2017 Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship from the Loft Literary Center, she currently serves as the managing director at Split This Rock and resides in Herndon, Virginia.

About Camisha L. Jones

Themes

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More by this poet

On Working Remotely & No Longer Commuting with Chronic Pain

the train leaves the station without me / so does the bus / the sidewalks stay empty of my steps—the rushed ones, the ones pierced with pain, the its-too-late-at-night to still be walking ones / i keep my cash / it doesn’t load my metro card and then another card when the first one’s lost / i don’t panic in the car about leaving late—least not as much / when winter comes, i don’t sit on the cold, cold bench waiting and waiting, clutching a pair of my stockpiled hand warmers / i don’t bundle myself up in oppressive layers / or unravel in the late night, releasing the day’s pressure like a pu

Camisha L. Jones

2021

Disclosure

I’m sorry, could you repeat that. I’m hard of hearing.

To the cashier

To the receptionist

To the insistent man asking directions on the street

I’m sorry, I’m hard of hearing. Could you repeat that?

At the business meeting

In the writing workshop

On the phone to make a doctor’s appointment

Camisha L. Jones

2020

Accommodation

The law wants my body reasonable
My body won't fence in its demands
Expects the world to stop
Whenever it wants to lay down
Throws up its middle finger
At deadlines, task lists,
Long awaited meetings
It ain't open to negotiation
Wants you to stop telling it to

Camisha L. Jones

2018