© 2024 by Michael L. Utley
(#367)
river stone cairn
serenity in chaos
as life flows past
…..
(#368)
deathbed
her soul cleansed by
early morning rain
…..
(#369)
in my stillness
I become the mountain
winter squall
…..
(#370)
oneness with nothingness
this world can no longer
touch me
…..
(#371)
my silent world
sound dies
and I die with it
…..
(#372)
my essence diffused
I’m no longer here nor there
a crow’s cry
Hey, folks. I’d like to announce my poem “Fade” has been published at Gobblers By Masticadores. A big thank you to Juan Re Crivello and Manuela Timofte and their staff for this opportunity to share my poetry with their readers—it’s always an honor and I’m truly grateful.
“Fade”
(c) 2021 by Michael L. Utley
“Dusk has fallen as
Stars scream heavenward and doves
Murmur mournfully
Evening-song has come and I
Cannot hear day’s parting cry
Night blooms above as
Insects whisper mysteries
And wolves share solemn
Oaths on phantom breeze and I
Cannot hear dark’s somber sigh…”
You can read the rest of my poem by clicking this link. Also, don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers By Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hey, folks. I’d like to announce my essay “The Deaf Guy” has been published at the new literary website India & Masticadores. Many thanks to Editor Abhilash Fraizer and his team for the opportunity to share my writing at India & Masticadores. I truly appreciate it. Thank you, Abhilash!
You can read my essay by clicking this this link:
Also, please consider following and subscribing to India & Masticadores, where you’ll find unique voices and captivating topics to spur your imagination.
Hello, everyone. I’m happy to let you know that a series of essays I’ve written about my experience as a deaf guy in a hearing world is being published at Gobblers & Masticadores, and the sixth and final installment in the series has gone live today. Sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello for this opportunity to share my experiences with his readers. Today’s essay is “The Darker Side of Hearing Loss” and you can read it by following this link:
“The Darker Side of Hearing Loss”
It’s my hope that sharing my life as a deaf person will raise awareness of this “invisible disability” and the impact it has on those of us with hearing loss, and perhaps enlighten those with normal hearing in order to bridge the gap between us. I hope you enjoy it. Once again, much gratitude to Juan Re Crivello for his kindness and generosity. It’s truly an honor for me.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hi, folks. I’m excited to let you know that a series of essays I’ve written about my experience as a deaf guy in a hearing world is being published at Gobblers & Masticadores, and the fifth installment in the series has gone live today. Sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello for this opportunity to share my experiences with his readers. Today’s essay is “Burden of Proof: The Damning Consequences of Skepticism” and you can read it by following this link:
“Burden of Proof: The Damning Consequences of Skepticism”
It’s my hope that sharing my life as a deaf person will raise awareness of this “invisible disability” and the impact it has on those of us with hearing loss, and perhaps enlighten those with normal hearing in order to bridge the gap between us. I hope you enjoy it. Once again, much gratitude to Juan Re Crivello for his kindness and generosity. It’s truly an honor for me.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hi, everyone. I’m delighted to let you know that a series of essays I’ve written about my experience as a deaf guy in a hearing world is being published at Gobblers & Masticadores, and the fourth installment is now live. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello for this opportunity to share a little bit of my life with his readers. Today’s essay is “The Obligatory Deaf Dos and Don’ts Post” and you can read it by following this link:
“The Obligatory Deaf Dos and Don’ts Post” at Gobblers & Masticadores
It’s my hope that sharing my experiences as a deaf person will raise awareness of this “invisible disability” and the impact it has on those of us with hearing loss, and perhaps enlighten those with normal hearing in order to bridge the gap between us. I hope you enjoy it.
Once again, sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello for his kindness and generosity. I truly appreciate this opportunity.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hello, everyone. I’m pleased to let you know that a series of essays I’ve written about my experience as a deaf guy in a hearing world is being published at Gobblers & Masticadores, and the third installment in the series has gone live today. Sincere thanks to Juan Re Crivello for this opportunity to share my experiences with his readers. Today’s essay is “Coda: Farewell to a Dream ” and you can read it by following this link:
“Coda: Farewell to a Dream” at Gobblers & Masticadores
It’s my hope that sharing my life as a deaf person will raise awareness of this “invisible disability” and the impact it has on those of us with hearing loss, and perhaps enlighten those with normal hearing in order to bridge the gap between us. I hope you enjoy it.
Once again, much gratitude to Juan Re Crivello for his kindness and generosity. It’s truly an honor for me.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hey, folks. I’m excited to let you know that a series of essays I’ve written about my experience as a deaf guy in a hearing world is being published at Gobblers & Masticadores, and the second in the series has gone live today. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello for this opportunity to share my experiences with his readers. Today’s essay is “Service Dogs, Rabbit Hutches and ASL Humiliation: My Introduction to Deaf Culture ” and you can read it by following this link:
It’s my hope that sharing my life as a deaf person will raise awareness of this “invisible disability” and the impact it has on those of us with hearing loss, and perhaps enlighten those with normal hearing in order to bridge the gap between us. I hope you enjoy it.
Once again, much gratitude to Juan Re Crivello for his kindness and generosity. It’s truly an honor for me.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
Hey, folks. I’m excited to let you know that a series of essays I wrote about my experience as a deaf guy in a hearing world will be published at Gobblers & Masticadores, with the first one going live today. Many thanks to Juan Re Crivello for this opportunity to share my experiences with his readers. Today’s essay is “The Deaf Guy” and you can read it by following this link:
“The Deaf Guy” at Gobblers & Masticadores
It’s my hope that sharing my life as a deaf person will raise awareness of this “invisible disability” and the impact it has on those of us with hearing loss, and perhaps enlighten those with normal hearing in order to bridge the gap between us. I hope you enjoy it.
Once again, much gratitude to Juan Re Crivello for his kindness and generosity. It’s truly an honor for me.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe to Gobblers & Masticadores, where you’ll find some wonderful writing and plenty of food for thought.
When I began this blog in July 2021, my primary goal at that time was to connect with people experiencing deafness in any of its forms. My counselors had suggested I reach out via blogging since my deafness prevents me from communicating in “normal” ways (in person, phone, etc.). I’ve always loved writing and in my younger days had actively submitted short fiction to publishers (and racked up rejection slips along the way). Certainly a blog could combine my love of writing with my need and desire to connect with other deaf people, I thought. So, I made the leap to WordPress.
My blog languished in the shadows for two months, virtually invisible. I plugged away at writing essays about my deaf experiences that no one wanted to read and dutifully checked my stats page every day. (What stats? They’re weren’t any to track.) My initial excitement over beginning my blog project began to wane and I found myself dreading to check my blog each day, knowing nothing had changed and not knowing what to do about it.
Finally, in late September, I came to the proverbial crossroads: my blog was going nowhere, so I could either abandon it, or try posting some of my poetry I’d had sitting around for years. What did I have to lose, I thought. No one would read it anyway.
So I posted some poetry, and views began to trickle in, with an occasional like. It was exciting to see activity after two months of silence. Now and then, a rare comment would appear, and the sensation of making a connection with someone else was both startling and welcome. And the more I posted my poetry, the more things picked up. I found the WordPress community to be the kind of place I’d always wanted to experience: a group of like-minded people sharing their hearts and souls through writing, and supporting and encouraging one another. It struck me how serendipitous this journey had become: I’d started out looking for fellow deaf people, but had found fellow writers instead. My deaf blog had switched gears and become a poetry blog, and I was seeing some progress, albeit in baby steps.
Now, perhaps I’m greedy, but I still want to find other deaf people. I need this to help me in my journey along my road to deaf acceptance. So, I’m sending out an invitation to anyone in the WordPress community who is deaf to any degree and who shares a love of writing to make yourselves known. I’d like to hear from you and have the best of both worlds by getting to know other deaf writers. I want to read about your own journeys with deafness and writing. I want to hear about how you cope with deafness, how it affects or defines your lives, if you consider it a blessing or a curse, if it has changed you as a person, if you struggle with it daily like I do or if you’ve come to accept it as part of who you are. I’m also interested in how deafness has affected your writing in terms of both style and subject matter.
It’s my personal experience that deafness is extremely socially isolating. That’s my reality. I know no other deaf or hard-of-hearing people. I don’t know sign language. My area is too rural to offer much of anything regarding deaf support services. I just want to meet other deaf writers and share our experiences and learn from them.
If you’re interested, leave a comment or use my Contact page to connect. I’d love to hear from you. My deaf essays can be found in the Essays section of my blog in case anyone cares to explore them.
Finally, thank you, WordPress community. Your kindness is appreciated. You’ve all been a bright light in what has been an otherwise dark period for me.
Silent Pariah 