Page 123 of Fifty First Times (Sharing You 0.40)
I met Stephanie when we were seven
at a playgroup for Deaf children that was
strangely arranged
We were in different groups because Stephanie
had 15% hearing in one ear (not anymore)
and 30% in the other (not anymore
she annihilated them both with rock and roll,
my girl) and I was what they callProfoundly Deaf
even though at that point I didn’t think about anything very
profound, or think about much at all,
or write any poetry
Stephanie and I weren’t supposed to play together but we did
anyway, just like when we weren’t supposed to play together
because she had chicken pox but we did
anyway, and then we itched together and spelled out words on
each other’s
skin
Tonight the lights are off
our eyes are closed
our hands are all over each other
so there is no
talking
I guess you could say we’ve been together for eleven years
I guess you could say we’d been waiting for
a sign
For a while when we were younger we kissed every day
At 3:41, exactly, because that was when
we’d be walking home from school and far enough
away from each that no one
could see us
