We Become Translucent

One month ago, Oliver Sacks passed away. He was a hero from my neurobiology days and an inspiration to me throughout my life. His books are full of interesting case studies and heroes. He was one of those heroes, to me. I gained such a respect for him.

In his book, "Seeing Voices," he concentrates on deaf culture. Through him, I saw the wonder and the struggles inherent there. He reported that children, deaf from birth, experienced deeper and more varied emotions when taught a rich vocabulary. These children did not just describe their emotions better; they actually experienced more!

We all need to hear and be heard. We need to learn a deeper vocabulary to describe our world. Through quality books, movies, and songs, we learn greater truth and experience others' lives. Perhaps, we become more human... more translucent.

Translucent

My throat is brimming.

I am choking, I am drowning on musty words.

Like age-rotted, burst feather pillows, my held-back words

Gather against the back of my teeth.

Dry, scratching, tickling.

I mistakenly believed someone had to hear them to set them free.

But trusted hands had gagged me, the flow of my words dammed.

Damned.

Writing is the wind that cleared them,

An autumn wind, crisp and invigorating, with just a hint of wood-smoke and good things to come.

My antique word-flurry rose like a flock of startled birds.

My mouth newly empty, my heart newly full

Of the ache to be heard.

And now, there, I feel it.

As if my tongue were an oyster…

A single pearl- smooth word rolling toward my lips.

I am used to chaos;   flailing, impotent gestures.

I am accustomed to those that I so need to hear me, to understand,

Glancing without recognition

and turning mechanically away.

My hand comes up to catch that new word.

Of what were others so afraid?

Through its lustre, I see my heart-words flitting inside,

Beating wings against the barely opaque shell.

A stronger hand than mine reaches out and takes the pearl with slow intent.

Eyes searching my depths,

Understanding.

To really comprehend words, one must see into that shadowy interior of their origin.

Words are just messengers from the internal world.

To hear, we need eyes, hearts, more than ears.

When eyes connect and allow a heart to see,

We become

                              Translucent.

 TRANSLUCENT

[trans-loo-suh nt, tranz-]

adjective

1.permitting light to pass through but diffusing it so that persons, objects, etc., on the opposite side are not clearly visible

2. easily understandable; lucid

3.clear; transparent