2 Poems by Judy Carraway

Involuntary Solitary

you keep moving around and your hand is in front of your mouth
please be patient i want to have this conversation
with you but the light is in my eyes and you’re talking
so fast what did you say i cannot hear you
whichlanguageitisjustallnoisetome
areyouspeakinginfrenchenglishor
italianwhateveritisallsounds
t h e      s a m e

please

                        slow

                                                down

let me see your face
you’re not that fascinating
i’m just trying to
read your lips
i’m deaf if you’re not dumb
please speak up 

my eyes see so much more than
your ears can hear
I see what you’re saying
what?
mall paul ball bought pot
every word has 10 more
that look the same
genius at work
the ultimate language decoder
sorry i laughed i thought you said
something funny
not
something sad

Listening

The lady catches my glance
and begins to talk
as I pretend to hear
I echo her laugh, copy her nuances
the tilt of her head, the line
of her gaze
I mimic her grimace,
the shrug of her shoulders

She pauses and sighs and takes
my hand warmly
I nod reassuringly as she leaves
realizing
no one has listened to her
for a very long while