Several months ago, L/L Patty gave me a book written by Lioness Mary Alice Cole, writing of her first years as a Lioness. One of the MD-4 conventions (in the 80’s), had a contest for the best poem written by a Lioness—please enjoy.
SOUNDS
Do geese still honk as they fly over,
And quail rustle in the brush for cover?
Do the sparrow and finch chatter in the trees,
And the hummingbird flutter on the morning breeze?
Please tell me, as I want to know,
For I haven’ heard since long ago.
Does a cow bawl as she gives birth,
To a mewling little calf on clover-scented earth?
Do the chickens cackle as they lay their eggs,
And the lambs baa, rising on wobbly legs?
The glorious sounds of nature are the ones I miss the most.
Yet, they linger in memory like a friendly, pleasant ghost,
Does the mourning dove coo his song at close of day,
And the coyote howl as he meanders on his way?
Do the waves make a roar crashing on the sand
And the crickets sing when quiet is over the land?
Tell me as I want to kno
FOR I HAVEN’T HEARD SINCE LONG AGO.
Lioness Alice said that in a special way, we were told again the importance of communication and that the thought of Lions who were challenged by Helen Keller in 1925, to take up the plight of the blind. She said hearing the reaction of the poem helped her to visualize the Keller appeal and that the winning poem said so very much and was an inspiration to all who heard it. The lady that wrote this poem became deaf in her 20’s and told of living in a hearing world of family, business, telephones, car horns, etc.
