an unnatural loss of hearing having nothing to do with growing old

the experience was unpleasant.

my shower head towers above the tub, too high for my liking,

and the tub is as useless as any metaphor to place on the table.

of course it’s slippery.

I should purchase some of those thin rubbery things to put

in the tub to retard slippage.

some resemble aquatic animals, others, cheerful floral designs, 

and some are colorful in the extreme, along the lines of what Fernand

Léger might have had installed in the bottom of his bathtub.

–– meanwhile, sudsing my hair with a non-perfumed, scalp-

sensitive shampoo, a rush of water entered my right ear, and although

it cleared-up after awhile, the experience was very uncomfortable,

causing a disorienting echoing effect inside my head whenever I spoke

which admittedly is not too often these days.