I recently purchased On His Deafness…and other melodies unheard, written by Dr. Panara. In it is one of the finest collections of poetry created by a deaf individual). The back sleeve of this tome reads as follows:

“Robert F. Panara, the legendary teacher-actor-writer-baseball buff of Gallaudet University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, has gathered together over five decades of poems. These range from delicate lyrics, to classical sonnets, to light verse, haiku, epic, humor, farce, satire, travesty, and just plain fun. There’s sentiment, nostalgia, poignancy and laughter…Panara shows a mastery of traditional forms of poetry, a joy in the play and music and flow of words, and a keen wit.”

With that, I’d like to share with you one of my favorites from this collection, since I thought it fitting, given the current state of turmoil in growing parts of this world:

______

“Aftermath”

“Peace!” the newsboys shouted loud,
“the battle’s fought and won…”
But the amputee lay
in the feverish sway
of a war that had just begun.
“Peace!” the grimy GIs grinned,
“arrived on time today…”
But their spades gave birth
in the desolate earth
to a hundred graves that day.
“Peace!” the cannons echoed nigh
and the flash lit every cloud…
But the shell-shocked stared
as the fireworks flared
and their nurses wept aloud.
“So this is Peace!” the sergeant cursed
as he finished his glass of rum.
“Poor devils,” he said
and he rolled in bed
and he wished that his brain was numb.

______

Robert F. Panara is the e.e. cummings of deaf literature. The electric flow he generates through words, emotions and reminiscence sets one of many literary examples for the rest of us to draw upon.

I’m curious if this provokes any emotions or thoughts within you? “Aftermath” is still marinating *tapping head* up here. I’ll come back with my review later. In the meantime, feel free to comment RE: any thoughts or feelings that’ve surfaced from this work!