2015 Sound Poem Project Days 5 and 6: Ballet and Theremin

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone. All this month, I am inviting poets to join me in a daily writing workout.

This week's Poetry Friday
host is Elizabeth Steinglass.

Today is Day 6 of Author Amok's 2015 poem-a-day project.

We are spending February writing in response to sounds. I spent Thursday traveling to Albuquerque (the mountains -- wow!), so I'm posting the Day 5 and Day 6 responses today.

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 Days 5 and 6 as they come in.

Our Day 5 prompt was the sound of a ballet dancer, without music.

Diane Mayr of Random Noodling did a little research to write her poem today. "After listening to the clip, I wanted to see what the title was in English, so I used the dictionary.com translator and enkele sprongen van een danser came back as 'a few jumps a dancer,'" says Diane. I love how that grammatical construction helped form this poem.

enkele sprongen van een danser 
(A Few Jumps a Dancer) 
by Diane Mayr

A few whistles a bird.
A few licks a puppy.
Too many whistles a penalty.
Too many licks an assault.

A few jumps a dancer.
A few words a poem.
Too many jumps a diagnosis.
Too many words a rejection.  

A few flowers a nosegay.
A few tears a reunion.
Too many flowers a funeral bier. 
Too many tears a broken heart.

Margaret Simon (Reflections on the Teche) sends her ballet poem out to a friend who is going through a difficult time.

Ballet Practice

by Margaret Simon

Body of intense beauty

strength of muscles flexed

arabesque held still.

Life ends.

We know it must.

Beauty dissolves

into a limp plie’

held en pointe

by loving hands.

I was fascinated with how muscular the sounds of the dancer's feet are, something we do not hear when there is music accompanying the dance.

Without Music

by Laura Shovan

Leather sole

grinds against

wooden floor.

Dancer spins.

Slipper squeaks.

Muscles of leg

and foot push,

resist, lift

and fall. Nothing

is without effort.

Patricia VanAmburg was also interested in the action of dance. I like how she moved the ballet outdoors in this poem.

       Spring Me Into…

…snowdrops

crocus and daffodil

unforced forsythia

tulip poplar

wren song

nests

ducklings

clouds like lambs

open windows

sidewalk chalk

children shouting

the smell of wet dirt

spring me…

  

(PV: This one is for Renee the Tulip)

Thanks to "Renee The Tulip" for suggesting a theater-related sound clip! Ballet was the closest thing I could find. And that's a good thing -- we had amazing responses to this prompt.

We have one more poem from Charles Waters -- an acrostic. What beautiful sounds reverberate through the last line here!

BALLET

Bending your spirit,

Allowing whirlwinds of movement to take hold:

Leaping, spinning, swaying,

Letting muscle memory take the lead,

Enjoying each nanosecond of this moment,

Taking a bow as rose petals float from the rafters.

(c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.

Our Day 6 prompt was the theremin. 

Thanks to Matt Forrest Esenwine for this suggestion. The theremin player in our clip is performing the Doctor Who opening theme. And you know I am a true, TARDIS blue Whovian.

Matt joins us with his take on this sound:

Theremin

A violin without its strings;
yet still, it sings – 
oh, how it sings.

– © 2015, Matt Forrest Esenwine 

Charles Waters also has a small theremin poem today.

THEREMIN

A sword less sorcerer,

A wand less magician,

A skill less superhero,

A musical apparition.

(c) Charles Waters 2015 all rights reserved.

Patricia VanAmburg said the music reminded her of a slow motion horse race. Extra points for the clever title.

Dr. Who—By a Nose

by Patricia VanAmburg

horses hooves

in slow motion

synthesized

tail winds

In slow motion

stretching corners

tail winds

quicken the pace

stretching corners

using the whip

quicken the pace

sliding in mud

using the whip

harp strung

sliding in mud

saved by the wire

Margaret Simon took time to do some research into the theremin -- a new instrument for her. It's no surprise that Margaret initially mistook the theremin performer for the conductor of the orchestra.

Revealing Energy

by Margaret Simon

The director’s hands

stir the air like a scientist.

Vibrating fingers

tune an invisible voice;

sound becomes color—a rainbow

of intonations exploring

the foreign frontier

of our ears.

From the Theremin Society.

I like the little nod to Star Trek in your poem, Margaret.

Next, Diane Mayr describes a dream-state in her theremin poem. Bonus points to you, too! The title of this poem rhymes with your name, Diane.

Rêves d'hiver
By Diane Mayr

In my sleep I hear
the newly arrived
hermit thrush
whistle then
launch into
full song.

Is it?
Is it finally,
spring?

I pull aside
the blinds
to look.

Only a handful
of house sparrows
outside, and none
of them singing.

February dreams are
surely the cruelest
of all.

Nothing from me for Day 6 yet. I may have to hop in my time machine and come back later with a Doctor Who poem.

UPDATE: After hiking in Tent Rocks park, I came up with a little theremin acrostic.

Playing Space
by Laura Shovan

Touch air.

Hands move

Energy. Fingers

Reverberate through

Electromagnetic field.

Music is there

In the space we call

Nothing.

And we have a few additional authors joining us today. Here is Buffy Silverman's theremin poem.

Summer Lullaby

by Buffy Silverman

crickets chirp

katydids chatter

rabbits thump

wood thrush warble

tree frogs peep

screech owls whinny

red fox bark

bullfrogs bellow

brown bats squeak

bobcats growl

windows shut

finally…. sleep

Here are all of the sound prompts for the first week of February:

Sunday, February 1

Read Water Wheel Poems by Laura Shovan, Margaret Simon, Diane Mayr, Linda Baie, Patricia VanAmburg, and Charles Waters.

Monday, February 2

Read Angel Chimes Poems by Diane Mayr, Margaret Simon, Laura Shovan, Linda Baie, Patricia VanAmburg, and Charles Waters. 

Tuesday, February 3

Read Knife Sharpening Poems by Diane Mayr, Linda Baie, Margaret Simon, Laura Shovan, Charles Waters, and Patricia VanAmburg.

Wednesday, February 4

Read Thunderstorm Poems by Margaret Simon, Diane Mayr, Patricia VanAmburg, Laura Shovan, Linda Baie, and Charles Waters.

Thursday, February 5 

Thanks to Renee LaTulippe for the suggestion.

Friday, February 6 

Matt Forrest Esenwine, I love this recommendation.

Saturday, February 7: Listener's Choice -- pick your endangered sound.

If you'd like some poem-starters to wake up your muse, you'll find them at the bottom of this post. 

And for early birds, here are the sound clips for week two. I hope you can join us, even if it's dropping in for a poem or two. Leave your poetic contribution in the comments or send it to me by email at mrs poems at gmail dot com.

Sunday, February 8

Monday, February 9

Tuesday, February 10

Wednesday, February 11

Thursday, February 12

Friday, February 13

Saturday, February 14 Recommended by Buffy Silverman.