Sonnet for acoustic feedback looping & transgender media representation
by Sam Rush
I want to watch us fucking on tv.
I mean: I’ve seen the snake, its ass inside
its gape & named the way we hunger,
or whatever. For whatever a mouth
awake inside another mouth would say.
Would see. My hearing aids scream whenever
we come close. Sound of a sound swallowing
its tail to tell out louder, still. Tell me
a story. Tell me a story, one where
the boy like us repeats himself. Wakes. Wakes.
& keeps doing it. Walks home & walks home,
again. Watches, as he takes in something like
himself & grows louder. Still, louder. Still,
I mean: I’ve seen the snake, its ass inside
its gape & named the way we hunger,
or whatever. For whatever a mouth
awake inside another mouth would say.
Would see. My hearing aids scream whenever
we come close. Sound of a sound swallowing
its tail to tell out louder, still. Tell me
a story. Tell me a story, one where
the boy like us repeats himself. Wakes. Wakes.
& keeps doing it. Walks home & walks home,
again. Watches, as he takes in something like
himself & grows louder. Still, louder. Still,
Sam Rush began writing poems after developing progressive hearing loss and realizing how many words each word could be. They were a finalist at the National Poetry Slam in 2016. Their work has been featured or is forthcoming in The Offing, The Journal, and Drunk in a Midnight Choir.