Listen

so many voices

here is an oft-heard refrain

how can I listen to

so many voices

how do I choose among them

how do I discern

the catalog in my mind

gets edited every day

seemingly several times a day

this voice I trust, mostly

another voice makes me wince

a new voice is added – for a while

that voice I remove from my catalog

I hear them

I try to listen

in the interest of objectivity

and the so-called facts

are all over the map

where is my voice

what is my voice

it seems to me

my voice is the tiniest whisper

in the constant clamor and rush

of the world wide whine

all those voices

like the strain of jet engines

pushing themselves onward toward

thrust and lift and flight

like everyone else, I want to fly

but in what sense

flee into the barren wilderness

hidden away with my hands over my ears

far from the harassing voices

or soar into the heights

where the air is rare and cool

the view is spectacular

and… what voices?

there is only the wind

I hear one voice

and I have ears to hear