Not Hearing but Seeing

This poem is a sly take on the poem 'Not Waving but Drowning' by Stevie Smith. When our tutor gave us the challenge for this poem I was watching Prime Ministers Question Time on the Parliament Channel on the BBC. All I could see were mouths open, yabooing, sneering, being patronising, pointscoring and saying nothing! So it was based on that but then....I took my dog for a walk..........

Not Hearing But Seeing

Your mouth moves

- but I cannot hear what you say.

Watching you,

I wonder what you think.

My mind creates words

from the movements

of your face.

Wrinkles form

making deep crevices

in your head.

A plump, wet, muscle moves

in a dark facial cavern,

like a fingerless waving hand.

The teeth in your mouth

now cemented tombstones;

bob up and down like

unanchored boats at sea.

I watch carefully and,

your mouth moves

- but I cannot hear what you say.

I tried to speak to you,

but only air escapes.

I don’t understand;

Oh... I tried...

I tried to listen to you,

and your mouth moved,

but

this time,

I don't want to hear what you say,

anymore.

Diana Leighton August 2011