Since I had my cochlear implant surgery eight weeks ago, I have been writing a poem a day to help me reflect on what is happening to me and my hearing. This is today’s poem.
cartography
we forget
the word map
is short for
mappa mundi
map of the world
or perhaps
map of a world
since no cartographer
can cover it all
my audiologist
uses the word map
to describe
how she programs
my cochlear implant
the longitude
of volume
the latitude
of frequencies
she tested how
I am navigating
my new world
with sounds
and sentences
expanding the map
expanded my horizon
by a factor of ten
is what I heard
leaving me to dream
of places to hear
and songs to sing
of words on the tip
of the universe’s tongue
Peace,
Milton
Love this.