QUIET ONE

"Vanity, vanity, all is vanity",
so said wise old Solomon.
And it's plain to me...
it affects all and is very common.

"Men don't make passes
at girls who wear glasses".
So announced the school yard bards.
Oh they certainly were cards.

And the kid that wore the hearing aid
was thought to be the dumbest of all
and for this he drearily paid
as they shouted to make him feel small.

For glasses were something that were all around,
but for him, because there was no sound
he stood out from all the rest,
and every day had to give it his best.

For the stigma attached to his affliction
made no sense, but was the addiction
of those whose understanding
was like their brains: undemanding.

And so he goes softly on his way
as others around pursue their play,
while he, in his own quiet space,
picks up his feet and joins the race.