Friday 24 April 2009

The Reformulation of Silence

Under a larkful sky
grasshoppers percussion
the soaring songs
of blackbird thrush and warblers

One day the soundscape changes

huge wheels crunch gravel
metal bars clang scaffolding
bulldozers fume and bang

memory reforms, normalises
this hot dusty summer of noise

that ends abruptly
in sudden silence

an empty concrete space
where airconditioning hums
anticipating office gossip
at desks where sky
is invisible.


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17 comments:

Rachel Fox said...

Like those last two lines!

I walked the dog this morning and the skies were so busy with birds...very exciting time of year.

x

Jeeves said...

Last few lines, just brilliant.

Anonymous said...

I've been really enjoying the birds in the trees in the field behind my house. Silence does indeed need reformulating.

RachelW said...

I love this... and hate it too, of course. I want the sky to be larkful again.

gautami tripathy said...

It is so difficult to comprehend the ways of human beings. We tend to destroy everything beautiful..

moon eats sugar puffs

Anonymous said...

This is also poignant, sad and lovely, Juliet.

Unknown said...

Great opening line. Scary ending. Powerful piece.

Liz at Yips and Howls said...

Powerful, moving piece. I especially love how you end with a noise that contrasts so starkly with the beginning.

sarah said...

So beautiful! You had me at the first line with "under a larkful sky" and I remained enslaved with wonder until the end.

Paul said...

That is superb, Juliet. You are a fantastic poet. I love the key change in the middle, the sounds of the poem actually change through the onomatapaeic effect, the reforming as the cloud of dust settles, then silence. It is a fabulous active alive sound poem.

Tangled Stitch said...

This is great. The symbolism and the raping of nature was never so beautifully put(sorry for the raping comment couldn't think of a better way to put it). I live in a place where development is rampant and more and more green is disappearing, your poem hit just the right chord to capture the feeling when I drive by one of these construction sites.

Janice Thomson said...

Excellent Juliet! Poignant and powerful words that are close to my own heart...

Catherine said...

I think I much prefer grasshoppers to airconditiong - a shame that natural sounds are being crowded out these days

Wayne Pitchko said...

ya i like ending also....but it all is very good

Erin Davis said...

Wow! So much sound in your words. Love it!

polona said...

my heart aches when i see all the 'development' destroying our natural habitat... great poem!

Mistlethrush said...

We have an area of flattened land near us. It looks like wasteland and is registered as 'soon to be developed' but I hope they don't develop it too soon because, despite how ugly it appears to humans, it's actually busy with pipits, larks and little ring plover. You just never know....