I SPOKE A WORD THAT DAY
I spoke a word that day. Got no reply.
Threw out a line and heard its ripple die.
Was there no bait to catch a little lip?
My cast too dry to coax a brittle quip?
I spoke again but deeper, from my soul
And bobbed my float above a basking shoal.
I reeled again, in silent empty air
And wondered how my drift had landed there.
Then slow to me came bubbles rising back:
An empty net is not the poet’s lack.
The meaning made is not for me to seek
My voice let go is all I get to keep.
We throw out lines unfurling to be heard
And kiss the surface tension with a word.
Then strike like silver lightning, reeling slivers of a dream
To hook a silent moment with our reads of golden green.
Tim Coburn
June, 2022
Copyright © Tim Coburn
All Rights Reserved
I SPOKE A WORD THAT DAY
Notes
Reading aloud can feel a tad precarious. It’s a launch of new work into the unknown and reactions can be hard to judge. As it’s voluntary, we usually feel good about reading it and, more often than not, eager to know if others like it, too. The format of open mic readings varies. Where it includes immediate critique, we are guaranteed to find out. However, many events are just about the reading, the listening, and the otherwise silent appreciation. I Spoke a Word That Day describes the experience of reading with a silent response. Hearing the sound of our own voice read the words of a poem we wrote, can be richly rewarding.
FIND YOUR VOICE
Writing a poem is an adventure into new territory. Poetic form has a different phraseology to conversational prose – it changes the boundaries of how we usually speak. For expressive clarity, poetry uses more imagery, metaphor and story. Words and meaning are more deliberately considered. As well as making sense in written words, poetry conveys its meaning in sound and how it makes us feel. To make a poem work, our vocabulary is stretched, our word hoard expanded and our vocal identity enriched.
The development of vocal identity extends to every aspect of your life – your voice is the medium by which you get things done. With communication and conversational skills so central to who we are as human beings, I have always been interested in the effect writing poetry has on the clarity, confidence and effectiveness with which we talk. I addition to sharing poetry and my reflections on it, I offer short talk and workshops for leaders, team members and technical specialists who want to improve the quality and impact of their voice.
If this appeals to you, please get in touch.
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