In this Book
- Listening through the Bone: Collected Poems
- Book
- 2018
- Published by: Gallaudet University Press
summary
“I don’t write ‘with the ear’ as most poets do, but with the eye. As Deaf people are apt to do, we become attuned to our world through tactile means, listening through the bone for vibrations, sensing shifts in air currents, recognizing wafting odors, observing fluctuations and reflections of light and movements in the water.” In Listening through the Bone, Willy Conley bears witness to life’s moments and renders them into poems that are at once irreverent and tender. His poetry examines life cycles, the natural world, and his experiences as a Deaf individual. Conley’s thoughts on the banal and the bizarre include translations of poetry from American Sign Language to English. His identity as a Deaf poet lends a strong visual aspect to his work. This collection is accompanied by the author’s photographs, including “watergraphs” that reveal inverted images reflected in pools of water.
Table of Contents
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- List of Photographs
- pp. xi-xii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xiii-xvi
- Introduction
- pp. 1-6
- I . Inaudibles
- A Deaf Baptism
- p. 9
- Salt in the Basement
- pp. 11-14
- The Turtle Bowl
- pp. 16-17
- Room Disservice
- p. 21
- The Air Conditioner
- p. 22
- The Deaf Simpleton
- pp. 23-24
- ASL, Eyesdropping
- p. 28
- The Miller of Moments
- pp. 29-30
- The Ivoryton Inn
- pp. 32-34
- The Universal Drum
- pp. 35-38
- Sunrise in Santa Fe with Clay
- pp. 40-41
- II. Existentials
- The water falls.
- pp. 48-49
- One Frame at a Time
- p. 50
- I of the Beholder
- p. 51
- Fibers of Time
- pp. 52-53
- Someone’s Daughter
- p. 56
- Pop Tart & the Computer Scientist
- pp. 57-58
- Wake of the Future
- p. 59
- N-u-i in South Baltimore
- pp. 61-62
- Sun, the Savior
- p. 63
- The Silent Witness of Mauthausen
- pp. 64-66
- III. Quizzicals
- Trans-Portation
- p. 69
- The Reverse Pavlov Effect
- pp. 71-72
- Uncarved Epitaphs
- p. 73
- Origin of a Pratfall
- p. 78
- Support Group
- p. 80
- The Absentminded Tooth Fairy
- pp. 81-82
- How to Make Fire
- pp. 83-84
- A Life Hack
- p. 86
- IV. Irrevocables
- The Perfect Woman
- p. 89
- The Morning Paper
- pp. 90-91
- Alone and Breathing
- pp. 93-94
- The Way He Sees Her
- pp. 95-96
- November Rust
- p. 98
- Missing Children
- pp. 99-102
- Yew in the Family Plot
- p. 103
- Uncle George
- p. 104
- V. Environmentals
- Five Haiku
- pp. 107-108
- The Breezy Logic of a Nine-Year-Old
- pp. 110-111
- Nature Photography
- pp. 113-114
- Olfactophobia
- p. 116
- Juniper, Pine, Mesquite
- pp. 117-118
- The Canyon
- p. 119
- Vaudeville in the Insect World
- pp. 120-122
- Subterranea
- pp. 123-124
- Impressions
- p. 126
- Land of Lost Pets
- p. 127
- Listening through the Bone
- pp. 128-130
Additional Information
ISBN
9781944838423
Related ISBN(s)
9781944838416
MARC Record
OCLC
1077263166
Pages
126
Launched on MUSE
2018-12-06
Language
English
Open Access
No