Sound and Meaning

Laying in bed the past few days on the last leg of pneumonia, I have been listening to my surroundings. Curious I decided to try and write some poetry with sounds. I did some research and learned about onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia is usually cited as a poetic effect. That makes sense because poetry is all about communicating emotion using the interplay between sound and meaning.

Playing with sounds in the first part, and then trying to let words make the sounds in the second, nothing serious here. Doubt I would submit this one.

I found a few good sites, and will look further by picking some poet friends brains.

The Sounds Of Spring

Eight AM mowers head the silent calendar call
as one by one they roll down the trailer ramps
   um          um
bu   mpp bu   mpp scrapping over the curb toward
the back of the condos and into the range of my

view where I lay sleeping with the window
slightly open phooosh phoosh phoosh goes
the breeze bringing in cool air softening the
upstairs hot existence from the days before

overcast skies off and on again peeking sun
holding in the earth’s rising temperature
swish swish swiiissshhh go huge tree
limbs rustling when the breeze picks up

blowing even darker clouds over birds
who right outside chirp chirp chirp in my
view are nesting their pieces of dead bush
and other particles needed for their young’s

to be born very soon HONK! HONK! HONK!
someone’s car alarm begins to sound when my
pillow is pulled over my head kakaa kakaa
nearby ravens have begun to pick the ground

for seeds along the stretch of freshly cut grass
kiii kiii kiii kiii the neighbor begins raking
her six by nine cement patio debris after
the gardeners have moved on to the other end

of the complex leaving moments for me to sleep
sniff sniff sniff cough cough go my spring allergies
rolling over planting my feet plunk plunk one by
one onto the floor saying hello hello downstairs.

II.

Stepping out of the gym door into the cool evening
my wet hair after a swim then shower whoosh like
reentering the pool as croak croak croak frogs in
the distance animate my walk to the car click click

pop my key unlocks the door as I slip into the
leather seats sliding across closest to the middle
the door slamming behind me headlights come on
with the turn of the key in the ignition engine starting

chirp chirp chirp sings a cricket finding its way into
the van the radio drowns it out a bit as the window
rolls down inviting the sounds of passing cars the
wind rushing in my hair blowing wildly across the

view of oncoming traffic into my mouth causing me
to spit sputter when it becomes like dental floss
caught in my teeth thunder rolls across the sky like
bowling balls down wooden lanes striking pins

the gods have either knocked over a bit of water
quietly it hits the windshield and my left arm hanging
on the door laughing my left hand slaps back
a high five to how different night and day can be.