Paul Hostovsky

Flirting with the Deaf

I’ve been watching you watching the

interpreter. She is just to the left of the

speaker, and always slightly behind

so that you are always slightly behind

too, your face registering surprise

when the surprise has already been,

your smile on the heels of the other smiles,

your laugh coming after the wave of

laughter subsides. I love the lag time, the

pause between word and sign, the space

between signifier and signifier and

signifed. I want to slip inside that space and sit

across from you, legs crossed, hands

folded in my lap. If I made myself very

small, inconspicuous, insignificant as

another pair of antennae on the wall,

just watching you, quietly, watching the

interpreter, could I, could we, fit?

Write with us. Learn with us. Publish with us.
Join a growing community of poets & readers.
Early access to calls, workshops, and updates.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
No spam. No ads. No data-selling. Unsubscribe anytime.
MEMBERSHIP PORTAL    |    FAQ   |    SUBMIT
2025 ONLY INK, Inc. All rights reserved.
ONLY POEMS®️ and associated marks are trademarks of ONLY INK, Inc. All individual works are copyrighted by their respective authors. All poems, essays, and artworks published on this site remain the intellectual property of their creators and may not be reproduced without explicit permission. The views expressed in published works are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ONLY INK, Inc., its editors, or affiliated entities. While many works draw on lived experience, they may contain fictionalized elements; no reference to any real person is intended or should be inferred. ONLY POEMS is an ad-free, independent, reader-supported publication.