[Newspoetry] OverHearing as Highest Art of Listening

[Donald L Emerick]

Pretextual prologue:
Re Bush's refusal to comply with Disclosure Laws.
For example, in the matter of Cheney and Big Oil:
    Who dares to call him the Law-Breaker-in-Chief?
Kings-in-law make law by following no law-making.
Bush discloses to us his two secrecy laws:
    1. Subjects shall have no secrets from me,
    according to the laws of Patriot Acts; and
    2. I may keep secrets from my Subjects.
Therefore, as this Bush follows no law,
yet deigns he to make law for others,
we must conclude that Bush is our King-in-law.
    Chorus: All hail the King!  Long live the King!
    Double Standard Oils Contest per Big Oil Law.

OVERHEARING AS HIGHEST LISTENING ART

Overhearing can not be done in private,
just as no hearing can be done alone,
for hearing relates saying by one or more,
in series, to thinking by one, if by any,
at a time, or at other times after saying.

Overhearing, though, is a case of spying,
perhaps, on others who may, perchance,
purchase no knowledge that someone listens
who was not, by self intent, to hear a saying
of just this tiny part of what some being says.

Being wants to say grace for saying spaces:
"There is a limit to how far my words may go,
as my interests out reach to an uttermost
over which I want to retain ultimate control,
and beyond which limits they become void."

Universal sayings are extremes, in-deed,
for their reach extends into heaven's dearth,
but they always already fall back to earth.
Nothing escapes gravity's well: crashes
Bring all hauntings back up home again.

Privacy deprives others by confining them
to space outside orbiting circle of saying.
Category interposingly bars absolute slaying,
but legal shibboleths knock down no others,
for saying it privately where no others hear.

Saying, itself, though, wants to escape
from any confining time or place, refraining
from any limit that I may impose to interdict
outwardly directed diction; detaining dictates
as it flows supremely inward from dictators.

Wardens of saying confer in secret war dens,
speak privately of the coming war they bring.
They conspire so that none else shall hear
what they plan to do before it may be done.
Fait accompli, he'd override out other facts.

Coup d'etats unis unite, form one unisonics,
so that differences of speech are removed.
Commonalities do appear in guise as language,
For many saying one language is true chorus;
Few voices cry "Peace weeps in no war hoops."

What made possible conspiratorial harmony?
No one there was uninvited guest to a party;
all parity, primus inter pares, so "we" forms
to pursue limited objectives, by private stealth,
to overcome any opposition before it storms.

Privacy itself does not blame normal publicity,
but indicts itself for its own abnormal expectations,
as to the idea of a saying that ought to be hidden,
ought not to be shared with those unworthy others,
those untrustworthy others: forewarning forearms.

Privacy would be proper when modesty rules,
when saying restrains itself for proper reasons,
such as one finds in desires not to harm others.
Delicate and decent Advertency lacks rude views,
sayings that drone on-n-on as no ear there hears.

What do I overhear, where-without-all do I do it?
I may have avoided this question of my guilt,
but no acquittal comes yet to my conscience.
Flush people talk at a plush table in a lush bar:
Insolently, inadvertent listening graces innocency.

That excuses me, of first overhearing intents.
It shifts first blame, as it were, to those others,
the ones who were at that other table talking,
there in public place, where any ear may hear,
as did mine, never pre-intending to hear them.

Yes, just hearing a sound as a noise differs
from any hearing sound as some saying voice,
for one then chooses a posture of listening,
as continues overhearing, pretending, stealthily,
or one removes the offender from such scene.

I did not remove me from that saying scene,
so I may plead no defense along these lines.
I plead, instead, the public content of saying,
as one never holds political opinion privately,
as always already lies completely in our view.

<<I despise secret ballot, as well,
for evil lies in what they do not tell.
They say no one else needs know
who I truly liked or if I voted so-n-so.
Secret ballots let only election officials steal
secretly from public purse and commonweal;
We ban private stealing of elections, by theft,
where each bought ballot is delivered bereft
possible baiting-and-switching in hiding cleft.
But which evil is greater if both thefts occur:
private theft in public view as norms concur,
or public theft when officials in privy confer?>>

I was speaking of escaping an overhearing,
trying to overhear myself overhearing here.
Returning to the table at which I sat not,
In tabled conversation then unfolding there,
Compelling political content made me hear.

I am, irremediably, no political junketeer,
but find my ears drawn in by junkie fear,
who prattled Bush was their junker leader,
because he proudly beats loudly warchest:
They detest most those who at all protest.

"Salute as soldiers go marching by or die."
That was their message of fearless leader,
who is most to be feared for what he fears.
These sayings fell deaf on unfearing ears,
except for mine as heart, astray, overhears.

No political speech can ever be overheard.
There, I have said what law ought to say,
that there is no right to harbor a tyranny,
no right to foster terror by stealth in night.
Night empties itself, devoid of public light.

Law provides public shelter for free speech,
but that shelter yields refuge for any hiding.
To speak freely requires speaking bravely;
Courage continues to listen, replies gravely
to all sayings as fall on hearing distractions.

They said that Bush needs to know nothing
About anything, at all, except to determine
to be determinate, resolute, like a bully-boy.
They want a leader who shows no fear signs
To take charge and make commands stick.

How, oh my people, come you to be cowards?
What? Did mother's milk not drink your health?
What? Did father's play not bank your wealth?
What do you fear to lose more than yourself?
I overhear you; I listen without understanding.

Bully-boy Bush comes, blowing his own horn!
Hear sheep, bleating in meadows, cows in corn?
No herd animals replies, contra herd instincts.
Overhearing is an art lost when heads are low,
Lower than this chopping block of highest art.

I heard America singing, varied carols I heard.
And then there fell a silence over all the land,
There was stillness at Potomaic Appomattoxin,
Where Wars between the States never end,
And South also rises, sun-phoenix engrave.

What I overhear that I never overheard before.
I hear the slave sounds of conquered people,
Who lack faith in themselves, who want a god.
If god is unwilling, then some foreign devil will do:
In bullish economies, all ne'er-do-wells do well.

We thus get a shrubbish biceptic-tanking Texan,
multi-millenarian, racist, fear-mongering, black-shirt,
shit-kicking, no-rights-respecting, god-fearing devil.
And, that's what I overheard drinking people saying.
And, now my poetry, poor as I try, is broken... bye.

Thanks for listening,
Donald L Emerick

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