If I Were Deaf

                        1.

If I were deaf I would watch the motion of branches

and think the trees nod “yes” to some delightful question.

If I were deaf I would be amused by the caprice

of an autumn leaf dashing across the gravel driveway.

I am not deaf and when the  unrelenting wind

conjoins with everything within my hearing,

I remember  my enemies and lose  all peace of mind.

                                2.

A life in wind-driven country

taught you to lean forward, head down,

trained you to narrow your eyes.

You got used to a wind blowing cold.

Now you lament being bent and old.

​You chose where to live, truth be told.