Let's Hear It For The Poets

[UnderYourSpell]

I pray that will be a long time coming dear poetry sister. You have words in every breath. Don't be afraid that the simpler ones won't carry the same weight as anything more complex. Sometimes, these are the very words that floor us.

Well said. I agree and know we all have plenty of poetry left in us (if for no other reason that we are some opinionated, mouthy sisters ).

Thank you I hope that is so. Only this morning I struggled to find the name of Lavender. It may be the Morphine dulling my brain but I can't do without it.

 

[todski28]

https://soundcloud.com/todski28/tohora

silent tears fall
from blacked eyes

she sings
her voice a quiver

it reminds me of whale song
that echoes out
as if the weight of alone
can only be sung in sorrows
keening cry

I drift toward sleep
in the blues and purples of discoloured skin

a tear splashes on my forehead
she whispers

"it'll be alright
we will be alright
mummy will be ok
go to sleep

when the sun rises
on a new day
we'll go down to the ocean
paddle our feet
and swim away"

 

[oneblueye]

hey ...

a piece by a musician friend of mine:

Don't Want My Baby

don't want my baby, walk out that door.
cuz if you do, don't want you--, back no more, baby.
Baby, baby,
Baby don't go out that door.

little miss muffet, sat on her tuffet
while I sang the blues night and day.
'long come a wolf spider, lay down beside her --,
he said hey, hey!, baby sho tasting good today.

And she was gone--!, on, the very next train.
if you so inclined you should do the same.
But baby, baby, baby, baby don't go out that door
I said--, baby, baby,
Baby don't go out that door.

(sound of door slamming!)

Bitch!

 

[UnderYourSpell]

a piece by a musician friend of mine:

Don't Want My Baby

don't want my baby, walk out that door.
cuz if you do, don't want you--, back no more, baby.
Baby, baby,
Baby don't go out that door.

little miss muffet, sat on her tuffet
while I sang the blues night and day.
'long come a wolf spider, lay down beside her --,
he said hey, hey!, baby sho tasting good today.

And she was gone--!, on, the very next train.
if you so inclined you should do the same.
But baby, baby, baby, baby don't go out that door
I said--, baby, baby,
Baby don't go out that door.

(sound of door slamming!)

Bitch!

This thread is for audio readings of your own or others poetry.

 

[Lyricalli]

https://soundcloud.com/todski28/tohora

I'm surprised there hasn't been a response to this one yet. So different from most of what you've recorded before. I was touched by the vulnerability of the poem, the softness of your voice. Glad you recorded and shared this one.

 

[Piscator]

Stand by Boys

Time to reckon
Time to stand
Stand back
Stand by
Bystanders
Bye bye America
America melting
American pie
Pie perfect
Piebald pony
Pony up
Pony Express
Express yourself
Express mail
Mail fraud
Mail-in vote
Vote USA
Vote going viral
Viral virus
Viral pandemic
Pandemic panic
Pandemic vaccination
Vaccination vexation
Vaccination nation
Nation notions
Nation divided
Divided by Party
Divide by color
Color me pink
Color me blind
Blind fate
Blind justice
Justice ACB
Justice supreme
Supreme Court
Supreme moment
Moment has come
Moment to ignite
Ignite the kindling
Ignite by lightning
Lightning strikes once
Lightning can’t strike twice
Twice too much
Twice ain’t right
Right to fright
Right on boys
Boys will be boys
Boys by stand
Stand …
Boys …

 

[Lyricalli]

Stand by Boys

Nice job! For the life of me, I can't remember the name of this form, but I'm sure it'll come to me. Probably just as I'm trying to fall asleep or something. They're not easy to read, I know. I did a reading of one of Angeline's years ago, which was such fun.

Always good to see a new post in this thread.

 

[29wordsforsnow]

Nice job! For the life of me, I can't remember the name of this form, but I'm sure it'll come to me. Probably just as I'm trying to fall asleep or something. They're not easy to read, I know. I did a reading of one of Angeline's years ago, which was such fun.

Always good to see a new post in this thread.

I think, a nice way to bring it to life would be if at least two voices read it, fast, interlinking each other's lines - like a duet, or duel; maybe not the latter, really the wrong topic for that... Tango?

 

[Angeline]

Nice job! For the life of me, I can't remember the name of this form, but I'm sure it'll come to me. Probably just as I'm trying to fall asleep or something. They're not easy to read, I know. I did a reading of one of Angeline's years ago, which was such fun.

Always good to see a new post in this thread.

It's called a blitz, lots of fun to write. Thank you again for reading one of mine.

 

[Piscator]

Thanks to Calli, Angie and 29 for comments on my blitz. They are fun to write and read but harder than you might think for an unspontaneous rant.

The duet concept is interesting but beyond my recording/editing skills.

 

[Lyricalli]

It's called a blitz, lots of fun to write. Thank you again for reading one of mine.

Blitz! It never did come to me. It was my pleasure to read yours

 

[Lyricalli]

Levitating Bed graciously gave me permission to put my voice to his poem, Window and Shutter.


Window and Shutter by Levitating Bed

At our age the imagination
across the sorry facts
lifts us
to make roses
stand before thorns

-William Carlos Williams


Window and Shutter

I am made from all of it.
I carry it with me.
I don't need to imagine it.

The thorns are woven through with roses,
roses with thorns:
if I separate them
I cannot tell the story.

Looking out, what we see, we see only,
because of who stands behind us,
because of who has taught us to look,
We each, as window and shutter.

Winter days are short
and even if we sometimes need to remind
ourselves and each other -
we're moving towards the light of
longer, summer days.

We each, as window and shutter,
because of who we choose,
because of who we are looking with,
We see only, what we see, looking out.

You cannot tell the story
if you separate them:
the joy is woven through with sorrow,
sorrow with joy.

You don't need to imagine it.
You carry it with you.
You are made from all of it.





https://soundcloud.com/lyricalli/window-and-shutter-levitating-bed

https://www.literotica.com/p/window-and-shutter

 

[todski28]

Wasn’t expecting a lump in my throat at the end of that,

Well recited, bring the piece alive for me

 

[Lyricalli]

Wasn’t expecting a lump in my throat at the end of that,

Well recited, bring the piece alive for me

It took a few tries to get through it without choking up towards the end. I was hoping I could bring something to it that was close to what I got out of it. Thank you for the compliment; it makes me feel like I did it some justice.

 

[Levitating_Bed]

Levitating Bed graciously gave me permission to put my voice to his poem, Window and Shutter.

Graciously... as if I wasn't the lucky one, having you read my poem.

That one means a lot to me. I'm humbled to know it means anything to anyone else. That was beautiful Calli. Thank you.

 

[Lyricalli]

Graciously... as if I wasn't the lucky one, having you read my poem.

That one means a lot to me. I'm humbled to know it means anything to anyone else. That was beautiful Calli. Thank you.

Well, yes, I think it was quite gracious of you to trust me with your poem before ever hearing what I sound like or how I read.

I'm very touched by the compliments, and so pleased that you like it.

 

[Lyricalli]

Late on a Friday night felt like a good time to play with this one.


The Sun Knows It's Hot

You know I feel your eyes on me

And I hate it
that you know how easy
it would be to slide between my thighs
because I can't stop
my fucking hips from moving
or my core from trying
to put out this fire
with a flow of slick wet

Damn my nipples
for peaking against my shirt
against my will
creating a circuit of craving
that electrifies my skin

Fuck you
and your smug chuckle
as my legs part
to soothe the swelling ache

Teeth clench my bottom lip
as I try to remain silent

No, I won't look at you
refuse to see the hunger that burns in your eyes
concede the tenuous grasp
on my control

I'm going to pretend
that I can't already feel
your grip on my hair
teeth rasping my neck
thick fingers slipping effortlessly into me

I hate it

that I revel in this blistering need

while you're still across the room

and I don't know if I want the torture
to end

then I hear you stand



https://soundcloud.com/lyricalli/sunknows

 

[champagne1982]

Living In The Time Of Covid-19

The only thing that marks each day as new
is the repeated queries from the cat
as she paces between my pillow and my chest.
Her dainty paw presses my cheek, impatiently
insistent while her brothers nip at my toes.
Time bestirs my bladder to acknowledge
the kitten clock and rouses me out of bed.

The routine of caring for creatures blurs
the distinction of weekday, weekend, or holiday.
This is why the aged are surprised when
time has gone by and it's been a year.
A year since they've had a meal with friends.
Twelve months since they've travelled.
Three hundred and sixty-six days gone.

Naive optimism of early weeks has been replaced
by fear, horror, dismay, and frustration.
We are still afraid and horrified by the death toll,
dismayed with the selfishness of the few,
and frustrated by our impotence to change anything.
Yet, hope surfaces more often now, to quash
negativity, nurture promise, and validate patience.

Maybe this will be all over a year later than we thought.

 

[Lyricalli]

Living In The Time Of Covid-19

Oh, one hopes that April 2022 will look a little more like April 2019. I'm going to have to learn to be social again. The hermit side of me has had so much practice this past year.

Beautifully read, as always.

 

[champagne1982]

Oh, one hopes that April 2022 will look a little more like April 2019. I'm going to have to learn to be social again. The hermit side of me has had so much practice this past year.

Beautifully read, as always.

Thank you Calli. I'm hoping I'll be released from covid stasis by fall. Now if the variants will just calm down and become less virulent, and if the nay-sayers would just go live in Antarctica, then the world could get on with recovery.

 

[todski28]

https://soundcloud.com/todski28/new-recording-2

Cigarettes, By Tzara

Glamour clings to her like the smell of Gitanes in wool.
—Edmund White, The Beautiful Room Is Empty

They helped me know what to do
with my hands,
while I was waiting

for that second drink or your knee
to nudge mine under the tablecloth.
Even lighting one

was an event—the scrape of the match
like your leg stretched, unclothed
along asphalt

or splayed out in bed, afterwards,
when we would try to make conversation before
going at each other again,

because that's the only way we knew
how to be together.
First, the little spurt of flame,

followed by the long, slow smolder
as I thought about how and where
I should touch you, run my lips and tongue

along and into and around, to tune
the instrument of your body
to produce that perfect, resonant trill.

How we would litter the bed with ash,
as if in our fervent coupling we had shed
siftings of our own scorched skin.

Thank you Tzara for allowing me to read this

 

[Tzara]

https://soundcloud.com/todski28/new-recording-2

Cigarettes, By Tzara <snip>

Thank you Tzara for allowing me to read this

Thank you Tod for your reading.

Is there anything more rewarding to a poet (well, other than a book that sells a million. . . er, 10,000. . . copies) than having someone like the poem enough to want to read and record it?

I don't think so.

Your wanting to record it is like a blessing, in a way. So, thanks. And, yes, you read it well.

 

[Lyricalli]

Your wanting to record it is like a blessing, in a way. So, thanks. And, yes, you read it well.

Yes, yes he did

Thank you for writing it

 

[todski28]

Thank you Tod for your reading.

Is there anything more rewarding to a poet (well, other than a book that sells a million. . . er, 10,000. . . copies) than having someone like the poem enough to want to read and record it?

I don't think so.

Your wanting to record it is like a blessing, in a way. So, thanks. And, yes, you read it well.

It in my opinion is one of the best writes so far of this NaPo, as soon as I read it I wanted to read it

 

[champagne1982]

Remind Me Love

I sat back and thought about those feelings
of green jealousy,
that tore me up and threw me to my knees;
because I'm all wrapped up with loving you,
and I don't live near enough to do
all those things that lovers keep on making new
like all the whispered words for I love you.

The bitter angst makes me remember
how it felt to feel things for the first time.
The kisses that I hunger for;
me begging, telling you I want more,
the touches of the clothes you wore
when I first tasted your sweet kiss.

Bear with me as I keep dragging out those moments
when I cried for you.
When I suggested that we analyze
the motives of our lovers that are not we two,
who want to live the life that lovers do,
and maybe they don't want me with you
because they don't think the love we share is true.

I will always be here for you, remember
that my heart beats because you testify you're mine
and no matter what, you'll always be
the one who sets my love free
and the only one who can do to me
the things that make me smile,

I love you. (and this is inscribed in stone)
Do you love me too? (Without you I am so alone)
If love is true, then darling pick up the phone
even when you're with some other girl.
Because she doesn't want me with you
even though I know our love is true
and I want to live the life that lovers do
and learn to open my heart to love her too.