The world is quiet enough to feel vibrations
of humming cars on the nearest highway
She can feel the crisp clean winter air
brush the surface of her skin
Smelling the snowy air cools her hot lungs
There is no sound in her world, not one
Not without the help of hearing aids
the little girl smiles sweetly and gently
like the world has stopped and peace is everywhere
the earth is silent and still and empty
being in her mute world is dreamlike
but once the hearing aids are on
a sweeping confusion of jarring sounds
jab her ear drum like bows and arrows pierce the flesh of a deer
the boisterous and obnoxious world is switched on
Snap! just like that
by two powerful amplifiers
her sweet smile gradually turns to a frown
as she becomes aware
of how the world truly exists
the daily traffic on the street is not longer a long line of
colorful cars but a gas guzzling, energy depleting nightmare
before only seeing the lips of strangers move
now she hears the bitter words
which pour through their seething teeth
fast and quick like lightening
but endless like a horizon
the news has children dying of hunger
with flys that swarm around their faces
and suck what life is left out of them
gun shots are heard and bombs are dropped
abrupt invasive harsh sounds
unnatural sounds that man created
terror attacks
genocides
global warming
she can hear the warnings, the hate, the anger, the prejudice
and she does not understand why no one else in the world
can hear this terrible and unforgettable noise
I am sorry little girl
Terrible sorry for we have become numb to it
We have become numb to the hate and abuse
We have chosen to ignore the sounds
Which you hear so clearly
But very soon you shall become numb to it
As we have done without a struggle