Hear While You Can
Most of my life errors
are from not hearing.
Until lately this has not been
because of bad ears.
The noise reached my eardrum
but not my mind.
Don’t play the stock market or eat green apples;
but I did not hear
and really got cleaned out.
Don’t try to change CDs while you drive;
but I did not hear
and my insurance rates sure went up.
Don’t date you best friend’s ex;
but I did not hear
and now I know why she became ex.
Don’t give an honest answer to some questions;
but I did not hear
and a poet friend no longer asks.
Don’t go in your office;
but I did not hear
and soon took verbal abuse from an angry student.
Don’t lift without a knee bend;
but I did not hear
now I have reason to note my aching back.
Don’t eat and drink so much wine;
but I did not hear
so off to the gym to off the belly fat.
Even the stupid
can be taught to listen
and now I am willing to listen.
Old age brings a bit of wisdom
and with a hearing aid
I have actually improved my hearing.
Only now there
is too little to hear.
My advising voices
are silenced;
appearing only in vivid dreams.
If my children are saying anything
it is out of my hearing range
and probably just as well.
And if I look up in the future from my hospital bed
and see he doctors talking to my family in the hall
I am not suppose to hear.
Like so many things in life
be sure to hear when
you can profit by listening
Seems so simple
learn by listening
and you can have an edge.
Since we do not listen
I am surprised we are still
not an endangered species.
Now how might evolution explain this?
Doug Minnis
March 6,2011