Don’t raise your voice if you’ve got something to say.
Speak calmly and quietly in a civilized way.
But there is at least one case where shouting is called for.
When volume won’t gall, or brand you a boor:
It’s when friends find their patience is veering away
Because neither of them think that they need a hearing aid.
When folks are unwittingly irritated on account of bad ears,
A shout restores tempers because it’s what they can hear.
This poem is inspired by weekends spent with my great-aunt Doreen, whom I love dearly. Here’s an essay I published recently about more of Dor’s adventures.
p.s. I realize that the Weekly Poem has been more like the Sporadic Poem lately. I’ll try to do better.
Tags: aging, etiquette, hearing aids, humor, poetry
