Dignity

have you ever watched an animal?
the way they do anything is so
unselfconscious, visceral,
clean of dignity’s grime.
today a squirrel
played in my yard
and I watched,
its joy
pure.

I am told the laughter of deaf folks
is pure like this. guttural joy,
unrestrained, open-mouthed, dumb,
for nobody to hear—
a noise that is made
for its own sake.
prying ears
listen
though.

now I am aware of ears that pry,
that sound is a performance
people play for each other;
that I will have to be
more than just quiet
to clean any
dignity
off of
me.