Today is Day 17 of Author Amok's 2015
poem-a-day project. We are spending February writing in response to
sounds.
For a full description of the project and how
to participate, please read this
post. I hope you'll join us. I'll continue posting poems from Day 17
as they come in. Thanks to everyone who has sent in poems so far. We've written
over 70 new poems already this month!
Our Day 17 prompt is a
child laughing. Some readers found the
sound clip a bit too intense. If you’d like a gentler option, try this clip instead.
When Diane Mayr pointed out
that the child laughing in our clip begins to sound uncomfortable, a memory
popped up for me. I’m still working on this poem. How to show the complex feelings
that arise when an adult knowingly/unknowingly presses kids’ boundaries?
Playing
By Laura Shovan
We called it
Tickle Torture—
our father
tickling armpits,
sides, and feet
until we begged
for breath.
Close relative of
our grandfather’s
signature move:
The Whisker Waller.
He’d brush
gray stubble against
our bare faces
until we
pushed him away.
We waited for it,
that cheek
to cheek embrace.
When would Grandpa
pull us close, love us
until we cried?
The
clip for today specifies that the child laughing is being tickled (by the adult
recording the sound?) Here is Diane Mayr’s response.
Plaid
By
Diane Mayr
His
mother's brother tickled him
to the point where he would hide
from his flannel-clad Uncle.
Now he is the uncle who does
not know how to relate to a child.
And so, he tickles. And tickles.
Almost not knowing how to stop.
His nephew will grow up never
wearing a plaid shirt, but finding
himself comfortable with pattern.
I like the way Heidi Mordhorst uses rhythm to show that fine line between play and discomfort.
Tickle
by Heidi Mordhorst
that tickles it's
funny giggle funny guffaw
that tickles it's
funny giggle squeal guffaw
that tickles it's
funny giggle squawk guffaw
that hurts that hurts
gurgle squawl please STOP
Margaret Simon of Reflections on the Teche has a tickle monster haiku.
to the point where he would hide
from his flannel-clad Uncle.
Now he is the uncle who does
not know how to relate to a child.
And so, he tickles. And tickles.
Almost not knowing how to stop.
His nephew will grow up never
wearing a plaid shirt, but finding
himself comfortable with pattern.
I like the way Heidi Mordhorst uses rhythm to show that fine line between play and discomfort.
Tickle
by Heidi Mordhorst
that tickles it's
funny giggle funny guffaw
that tickles it's
funny giggle squeal guffaw
that tickles it's
funny giggle squawk guffaw
that hurts that hurts
gurgle squawl please STOP
Margaret Simon of Reflections on the Teche has a tickle monster haiku.
Hold your breath
blow trumpet horns
tickle monster reigns again
Mike Ratcliffe captures the passage of time with this haiku.
Fireflies of summer
become snowflakes in winter
with a child's laugh.
Linda Baie
reminded me of the first things my children laughed at when they were babies.
For my eldest: the family cat. And my youngest: her brother.
baby
laughing
Nothing pleases more
than a belly laugh from a baby,
except perhaps the whisper
of a baby sneeze.
Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved
In turn, Linda's "whisper of a baby sneeze" reminded me of this video.
Let's end with a sweet little couplet by Charles Waters.
Here are all of the sound prompts for the third week of February. As promised, I included a couple of sounds from New Mexico:
THE LAUGHING OF INFANTS
Strings of hiccup like chuckles
Emanate from freshly formed beings.
(c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.
Here are all of the sound prompts for the third week of February. As promised, I included a couple of sounds from New Mexico:
Sunday, February 15
Video of Santa Fe's Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi by
my Albuquerque friend, Jennifer Lewis.
Monday, February 16
Quaking aspen. Read more about this sound here.
Quaking aspen. Read more about this sound here.
Laughing child.
Wednesday,
February 18
Recommended by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes of Today's Little Ditty
Recommended by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes of Today's Little Ditty
Friday, February 20
Follow the link to choose your reptile.
You'll need to turn the volume high to hear
this one.
If you'd like some
poem-starters to wake up your muse, you'll find them at the bottom of this post. Drop
in any time with a poem. I’ll continue to post your work throughout the month,
no matter which sound you are writing in response to.
Would you like to read
what we’ve written so far? Here are links to the week 2 poems. You can find
links to the week 1 poems on all of these posts:
Sound of Waves
Poems by Patricia VanAmburg, Diane Mayr, Linda Baie, Laura Shovan,
Margaret Simon, and Charles Waters.
Bubbling
Cauldron Poems by Diane Mayr, Charles Waters, Laura Shovan, and
Buffy Silverman.
Fireworks Poems by
Charles Waters, Diane Mayr, and Laura Shovan.
Classic
Typewriter Sound Poems by Patricia VanAmburg, Diane Mayr,
Charles Waters, Mike Ratcliffe, and Laura Shovan.
Mockingbird
Poems by Linda Baie, Mike Ratcliffe, Laura Shovan, Charles
Waters, and Margaret Simon.
Cape Eagle Owl
Call Poems by Linda Baie, Patricia VanAmburg, Charles Waters,
and Diane Mayr.
Male Woodcock
Mating Call Poems by Diane Mayr, Patricia VanAmburg, Mike
Ratcliffe, Laura Shovan, Linda Baie, and Charles Waters.
6 comments:
yes--all of those--all of those reactions to that laughter.
Patricia
I didn't hear the discomfort, perhaps because I've never seen this "tickling" happen nor has it occurred to me. Interesting how our experiences color what we write. No surprise, but still interesting. I enjoyed each one's response.
Glad we didn't have to write to that powdery baby fart. I love where your poem is going. The scratchy whisker cheek oh so familiar.
I like the juxtaposition of laughter and whispery sneezes in Linda's. And also Linda's comment about how experience colors our interpretations -- sooo true!
Thought you might get a kick out of this laugh: http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2014/09/laughter-transcribed.html
so funny, Tabatha! I've sent this on to my brother & sister-in-law-both musicians!
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