In the kingdom of the deaf

In the kingdom of the deaf,
the man with one good ear is in purgatory.

He hears the rumble of the guns.
He hears the taxi engine throbbing.
He hears the muttering of nuns.
He hears the distant sobbing.
He hears the humming generator.
He hears the sharpening of the knife.
He hears the hissing from the crater.
He hears the ambiguities of life.