The following text is a poem by David Okafor.

At the Hearing

You asked me what I was thinking. I'll tell you what I was thinking.

I was thinking about the kitchen light that flickers every Tuesday. 5 I was thinking about my daughter's recital, the way she held her bow as if it might escape her.

You asked me to describe events in order. I cannot describe events in order. 10 Events did not occur in order.

You have your forms and your version of sequence. You write as if I were a weather report.

I have been in rooms like this for thirty years.

You are very young. 15 You have very clean hands. I do not say this as an insult. I say it because I notice things, because noticing is how I have survived, because the difference between this room and other rooms 20 has always been the hands.

Now. Ask your next question.

How and to what effect is voice used in this text?