Unspoken Feedback

by Jennifer Wren Call

You don’t need a mic
to make noise.

You don’t need to speak
to be heard.

Just stand—
And the world takes notes.
Just be—
And someone writes the story.

That rooster?
He wasn’t performing.
But he was received.
Rackety and exact.

Everything we do
is feedback.

Noise is silence.
Silence is noise.
A frown is a smile.
A smile—
a frown.

Confusion looks clear.
And clarity?
That’s just a myth
With better lighting.