The child's parents give a party; records spin.
TV set with the sound off in the corner.
A head mouths words that bore it to death.
It seems furious.
Actors freeze in enigmatic poses meant as drama.
Taut muscles mimic shammed emotion.
The room is full of the real thing.
Grown-ups drink, touch, gesture,
Laugh, posture, pour great floods of silence
Into the silent room.
Paying special attention to their eyes,
The child watches.  They mostly
Feel he's stupid, so ignore him.
For his part he simply sees what he sees,
Is not distracted by pretension
Or subtlety. Cruelty concerns him,
Not lies – he cannot understand lies.
Seeing the hidden hurt in a face,
The petty vice in another that produced it,
A deaf child would not imagine
This sort of thing could pass for friendship.
As others watch TV without sound
To find out what's really happening
On the screen, he watches them.
But lacks the power to replace them
With comfortable illusion.