ear

kay and sean found this giant stone ear in france and photographed it. both of them report looking up to see where it might have fallen from. an ear is a very contemplative object, particularly as a thing on its own. an underwater ear studded with wish pennies is even more provocative. it is an ear that you feel perfectly reasonable telling your secrets to, and just sitting there so quietly, it seems to carry and divulge deep and ancient secrets of its own. from the photograph it makes me think of an open faced oyster. and of all the objects that fit into ear openings. i remember that irresistable urge as a child to put small things into my ears. the invitation to instigate a snug fit of any kind is almost impossible to resist. i thought of pouring warm clay into my ear and making a reverse mold of the narrow, twisting hallway and its acoustics. i compromised with silly putty. when adam was little he put a popcorn kernel in his ear and then promptly forgot about it. a cockroach once crawled into my father's ear when he was asleep. a cashew makes a handy earplug, in a pinch.