"I Wouldn't Change a Thing"
~ A poem by a hard-of-hearing woman
On the day my life began, my life was forever changed,
Although no one knew the conditions.
But God ordained
That this would be
My destiny.
My situation.
I cannot hear as the hearing do
And I am not Deaf
I am stuck between two worlds, you see.
In one that is seemingly invisible;
Without hearing or Deaf identity.
But I wouldn't change a thing.
I love to listen to music, to the notes that share a story
But I cannot hear it the same as the hearing can,
Unlike the Deaf, I am not in tune to vibrations.
But I still love to play musical notes
I still spend hours at the piano.
It is beautiful to me, to my own unique ears
Even though I know
It sounds different to the hearing world.
But I wouldn't change a thing.
I think Deaf is beautiful
I love the community, the rich language they have
Sometimes I wish I was more a part of it
And could utilize more American Sign Language.
But I am glad I can partially hear
The birds sing,
The waves crash,
The wind whistle,
And my beloved piano.
"If you could go back to the day you entered the world", one asks,
"and request that God give you perfect hearing,
Is that something that you would beg of Him,
So that you wouldn't have to
Face what you are enduring?"
My answer to that is quite simple, my friend,
Although it may seem rather peculiar-
I wouldn't change a thing.
You see, my hearing loss doesn't define me,
But it does make me who I am.
It gives me a unique perspective in life;
Shaping how I relate to the world;
Growing my dependence on the great I AM.
But let me tell you what I wished everyone realized:
Technology doesn't necessarily eliminate the barriers
Louder isn't always better
And only lipreading makes me wearier.
I still feel left out in group conversations,
When I obviously missed the punch line
You all start laughing,
But I am left smiling,
Wondering what humor was brought to sensation
But please, don't have pity on me
I just want you to understand,
That sometimes I am not involved in your world,
Your circle,
Because actual hearing is something I cannot pretend
But all of this heartache,
All of this struggle, this silence
The times I feel misunderstood-
It will all be worth it,
All be forgotten,
When the Great Physician
Takes out my hearing aids for good.
One day, the first thing I will hear perfectly,
The first thing I will fully understand,
Is my Savior's beautiful, tender voice,
Whispering my name
And so, my dear friend, my fellow traveler,
Since that is what I look forward to,
I wouldn't change a thing!
