Speak Up!
What’s that you say? Your lips keep flappin’, but nothing’s coming out. You’ll have to speak up if you want me to hear you. I didn’t come all this way to talk to myself! And don’t tell me to not to get all excited! I don’t know what all the buzz is about, and I sure don’t know if any of what you say rings true. In fact, I couldn’t say, one way or another, if you’re saying anything at all!
listening to tones
difficulty discerning
failing hearing test
ringing ears a detriment
higher pitches go unheard
The tanka I wrote earlier today is now a haibun, hopefully to meet the prompt for NaPoWriMo.net Day 15, which is to write a poem with a dramatic dialogue, with a specific voice or character.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons (cropped here)
rivrvlogr 
The prose part sounds like quite a “character.”
A friend of mine has lost a lot of hearing. (She wears hearing aids.) She didn’t hear the phone when I called the other day, and she didn’t hear the tornado alarm this morning either.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Merril.
Mine is high end and is a problem with background noise. My loss is in my left ear, due to wind noise while driving a truck, and it also happens to be the same ear that had an inner ear infection that resulted in full time ringing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had no idea that wind noise from driving a truck could cause that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s common enough that it’s routine to go for a professional hearing evaluation (after 3-6 months retired) for a Worker’s Compensation claim. My left ear was rated at 12% loss at the time. 13 years later, it’s probably more.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So sorry, Ken!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A fair bit of that at the moment, and in particular on several hills around the world, and not least for my mother.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is really good! I would love to be able to write like that! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 🙂
Not that I would say any of these things, but I looked at this as an exercise in thinking out loud.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you that is some good inspiration! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It made me laugh! (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
We all could use a little laughter .
LikeLiked by 1 person
I sympathize with you, having the same problems, and I laughed at the writing, recognizing myself!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
My hearing loss is not extreme, but I found I could no longer make assumptions on what a missed word might be. That can lead to trouble. So, I finally started asking people to repeat. It can be annoying when someone repeats with exaggerated enunciation, when it’s a simple matter of attentiveness (or being aware that someone is about to speak) on my part. It’s not that I didn’t understand it. I just didn’t hear all of it. I annoyed a clerk one time, when after repeating something twice I told her I wouldn’t have to ask her again if she were to look at me rather than looking down at the counter as she spoke (every time). Yeah, I’m getting to be an old fart.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m laughing because I’m doing the same thing. I lost some hearing as a result of long term antibiotic use for my hand infection several years ago, and the tinnitus came with it. Took some time to get used to it but I don’t think about it now very much. I do fine one on one but not so great in groups and I also have noticed I do a lot better when the person looks at me!
LikeLiked by 1 person