Open ears

a poem about listening

When my ear began to twitch,

And my mouth began to close,

How the earth became unstitched,

And reached up on its toes.



How its children love to speak!

Though how often are they heard?

When I’d turned the other cheek,

Had they uttered the same words?



How  my ear is full of talk!

Hearts will open with a flick,

Like a tranquil quiet walk,

When the earth just seems to click,



All these careful timid steps,

They will break into a run

All the secrets they have kept,

Seem to burst as rising sun,



Every trouble is important!

Every trial is a tale.

Any ear that opens widely,

Will find them without fail.