Tuesday, September 11, 2007

"Go Play!"

Some years ago, I wrote this poem as I like to write poems occasionally...and for me to share this with others, especially with the hearing world. "Why the hearing world?" you might ask...to help them be more aware and be more sensitive...to teach their children to be sensitive with their neighbors, relatives, classmates, etc, especially the little ones. Some are ignorant and didn't know any better, we, the Deaf people, need to share with them...to teach them to be more kinder to all humankind, no matter what disability any of us have. I do not consider my deafness a disability but a blessing in disguise, for I've learned and grown so much, kinder and more sensitive to other people's needs. I love the quietness as I know that there's so much noise in this world that some who hears wished they were deaf. Some of us who are deaf "hears" everything with our eyes, it's such a beauty to see with one's eyes and listen with our hearts. Here's the poem I wrote over 6 years ago.

Go Play!!
I was about 6 or 7 years old,
Lived on top of the hill in Upper Saddle River,
There was 4 of us children living in a big house,
I was the youngest of us all at the time.
My mother was busy, and didn't have time
To deal with us children, staying in the house,
So mom would tell us children to go outside,
"Go play outside, Go...I'm busy!"
My brother and sisters went outside,
I went outside, thinking what I should do
I thought about some kids down the hill
About the same age as I, downhill I went.
I had played with them before,
as I ran down the hill, and saw my friends
Playing on the road, hop scotching with a rock,
I came closer and closer toward them.
When they, the three girls, saw me coming down
They looked at each other, mouths moving,
Then suddenly, they took off running
Running away from me...
Toward one of the girls' house.
I was almost at the bottom of the hill.
When I saw them running fast, farther from me,
I was shocked and hurt, not understanding
Why they did this to me...What did I do wrong?
We used to play often, but not that day,
So, I ran after them, wanting to play with them.
As I ran and ran, closer and closer toward them
They kept running and running, toward one's home
I saw the girls rushed into the house, and
When I came upon the door...
The door SLAMMED shut to my face.
I stood there in shock and in disbelief,
My heart started to cry, feeling hurt
Tears welled up in my eyes.
I thought, "What did I do wrong?"....
All I wanted to do, was to play with them,
So, I banged and banged on the door,
Suddenly the door opened,
A tall pretty blonde-haired woman stood there,
Looking confused and asked me, "What's wrong",
And looking sideway at the other girls inside,
Then at me, she asked again, "What's wrong?"
I looked at her, said haltingly, "I want to play with them"
She looked at the girls, said something to them,
Then opened the door wider
And told me to come inside the house.
We played a while, in silence....
From this day forward, I never went back
To play with them again,
Because I felt rejected and unwanted
And why was I rejected...I'll tell you why,
It's because I couldn't hear and I talked funny.
So, I implore you to please...
Please teach your children to love everyone
No matter who they are, what they look like
So they will not hurt others like I and others were hurt.
This memory is still delicately fresh in my mind
And this has taught me to be sensitive to others.
And my advise is, be kind to others, please.
By R. Weitze
7-1-2001/revised 9-11-2007

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this touching poem. My KODA daughter sometimes is having a hard time, too. Just because she's a little bit different from the other girls. Boys don't mind but girls.

I wanted to tell you I really love the pictures of your dog and cat you posted. They are so adorable!! I have a dog like that...Jack Russel and her name is Jacki.

Anonymous said...

Good poem! And your dog and cat look so cute.

If you want to meet more deaf people and see videos, I recommend you to
Deafloves.com. This is a niche deaf
dating site and for deaf and HOH singles. Hundreds of new members daily join