Birds tweet
Dogs bark
Bears growl
Cats purr
Snakes whisper
Bugs buzz
Whales sing
Dolphins laugh
Monkeys chatter
Elephants trumpet
Geese honk
Squirrels fuss
Prairie dogs squeak
Cows moo
Pigs grunt
Roosters crow
Hens cluck
Mosquitoes whine
Trees sigh
Flowers giggle
Brooks babble
And if WE are lucky
we shut up long enough
to listen
Here I present to you the first of my poems as inspired by Mary Oliver’s “A Poetry Handbook” (see my previous blog post about this for info). On page 20, she introduces “The Alphabet – Families of Sound.” That phrase caused me to close the book, pick up my pencil, and write this. . . . .It’s nothing special, just an exploration.
Just as an aside, thinking about the Family of Sound calls to mind this extraordinary photography exhibition (I’ve heard about it, not seen it, since 1955 was just a tad before my time), and also makes me think of Mary Ellen Mark’s book American Odyssey, with its gorgeous inclusion of Maya Angelou’s Human Family, which, if you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend checking out and writing on your heart. . . . . for me, everything is connected, friends!
Thank you for reading!
The Poetry Patio 