Poetry Prompt Day 11 - Using the Sounds Around You

This is a blast from the past, one of my favorite poetry prompts from Julie.  I love how she uses sound in this poetry prompt and I often forget about using sound in my poetry but it is something I love to do. I hope you have fun with it too!

Now here is Julie Jordan Scott talking about sound and writing poetry.


Merriam Webster defines resonance like this: the intensification and enriching of a musical tone by supplementary vibration: a quality of evoking response.

Now add cadence to your writing voice and the result will be even deeper.

What is cadence?

It is the measure or beat of a rhythmical flow.  It is the snapping of fingers in time, the metronome back and forth or backandforth or baaaaaccccckkkkkk and fooorrrrthhhhhhh.

Resonance and cadence are heard in the silence of your reader's mind. It is your words blending
with their consciousness  that will create magic.

We craft our words and we hear ourselves better, we "get" ourselves better, we allow the richness  and wonder of the process to bubble over and through us.

We may be like World Music, we may be like jazz. We may be like country or rhythm and blues. We may sound like Lindsey Lohan or Boy George or  Aretha Franklin.

Lindsey Lohan is not Lindsey Buckingham.

Boy George is not George Strait.

Aretha Franklin is not Frank Sinatra.

Listen to the rhythm and sound of the poem below. Read it aloud to "hear" it better.



Do you hear tires against slightly moist pavement?

The Music of Traffic

The music of traffic:
the cars passing by
swish whoosh moosh
schwaaaaa schwaaaaaa

Barely aware of the heavenly scent
of the garden surrounding her
Home to one of Rodin's  Prodigal.

He is here from long ago, bronze listening.
Poised, considering, summoning life
Swish whoosh moosh
Schwaaaaa Schwaaaaaa -


Bordering Wilshire Boulevard
the cars played their tire-instruments
The peaceful stillness
the muffled emissions
Swish whoosh moosh
schwaaaaa schwaaaaaa

Standing, honoring, breathing
she closes her eyes to feel
soft movement of the cars and
the calling of the garden,
the confidence of Rodin's sculpture.

Each and all surrounded by

The music of traffic
cars passing by, not hearing
not smelling, not taken in -
swish whoosh moosh
schwaaaaa schwaaaaaa


=====
Did you hear the cars driving by in those words?

Take a moment (or five) to close your eyes and listen.

In the silence of your narration, what do you hear? Have a notebook and pencil or pen ready to write after you listen, silently, and quietly enjoy what gifts the sounds around you offer.

When you open your eyes, write what you heard and then write any connections you made from what you heard. How might these sounds be described? How do those sounds connect with your life and with your future reader’s lives?

Sentence Starter "When I listen to the _____, it tells me..."

Word Prompt: Take one of your near silent sounds and use it as your starter.

Bonus: Use onomatopoeia words in your writing.

Some intriguing links to visit:

Sound and Sense by Alexander Pope

Analysis and Examples of Onomatopoeia in Famous Poems


Finally, a video which will help you remember.... a lot of fun. I think I want to learn this song and sing it when I work with... well, for all ages, actually... it is a lot of fun.

Share your poetry with us by linking up. Make sure you visit your neighbors one or two before and after. If you are last on the list go back to the beginning of the list. If you are the first few on the list please go back to the day before and visit the last on the list if you haven't already. Have fun!

1.	Like a Water Drop	15.	Amy McGrath	29.	Kailynn- GingerSass
2.	Georgia aka Bastet	16.	Lance Smith	30.	Steph Beth Nickel
3.	Quinn	17.	Nikita	31.	Sound of Her Life by Annie
4.	viv blake	18.	Lady Whispers	32.	Philomel Chowdhury
5.	Misky	19.	Payal Agarwal	33.	Lilith Colbert
6.	Ron Potter	20.	Ankit Sharma	34.	Annis Cassells
7.	Aurora from Team Netherworld	21.	alfred booth	35.	Mark Jones-sound off
8.	Navin	22.	snlkc	36.	odhran
9.	Shah Scribbles	23.	Beth Teliho	37.	Andrea Moore
10.	zoe	24.	Rhian Williams	38.	Jenna Amundson
11.	Anna Stewart	25.	Samantha F	39.	Meg Hachmom
12.	Fida I	26.	Esther Spurrill Jones	40.	Jennifer Cunningham
13.	Aavika	27.	Beth Camp
14.	Nimue	28.	Christine

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