You have to be Deaf to understand

These poems are excellent! I am hearing so even though I have my own problems, I still can't say I know what it really means to be deaf. But I think these kinds of poems along with books being written and all that can help the hearing world realize what it's like.

I think and hope some hearing people will read deaf people's poems and realized who we are and how we feel as a deaf person and not try to change us to a hearing person that we are not. We not ashame of who we are being deaf. Being deaf is just a handicap, not a curse. :)
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Absolutely! I never want to be one of those hearing people who try to change deaf people. I want to work at a deaf school one day so it's so important for me to know what you all feel.

And every time I talk to a hearing friend about these things and they say, "Why don't they all just get implants so they can hear?" I make sure to do my best to explain the whole story.

Oh, but I think I get this part by a lot:
"What is it like to comprehend
Some nimble fingers that paint the scene,
And make you smile and feel serene,"
I LOVE watching people sign! It's like magic to me. :D
 
Thanks for sharing the poems.
Please understand that just because we hear, doesn't mean we listen! IMHO communication difficulties/problems are more frequent in the Hearing community than the Deaf community.
Also, even for the hearing, 90% of communication is visual but, those of us that hear are often unaware of this fact.
This further breaks down the quality of our interactions! As I learn more about the Deaf community I am finding that, although the deaf are a minority in terms of our societal norms in general, it is in fact the hearing who go through life with minimal receptive skills because we lack the perspective that NOT hearing can provide.
We take our hearing for granted and we often do not understand how to truly listen.
Listening requires focus and effort and unless something motivates us to move outside the default auditory monitoring level of our surroundings, we can often miss a great deal of what is being shared by our environment.
As I sit in class and watch my deaf ASL teacher, I focus more than at any time in my life, otherwise I will miss what he has to say and, let me tell you this: It is "I" who feel like I am missing out!!
I regret not being able to interact more with him!!

Peace, John
 
Both of those poems are so true, and it hit home for me. These two poems are very blog worthy, IMO. Thanks for sharing them guys!
 
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