If you’ve spent time with infants, we adult-speakers come to know their sounds aimed at communicating, at meaning. A coo this way means they’re hungry. A cry this way means they need to be changed.
It’s true of any creature really. Our dog makes this sound and we eventually know they want this. Our cat makes this sound and we know they want that. The bird sounds out a song every morning as the light grows and we can guess at its meaning.
If we’re attentive observers, we might come to know how the creature’s shape changes with each sound…inviting even more layers of meaning.
Sounds. Shapes. Meanings. Possibilities.
As adults, we recognize there is even more meaning than just the agreed upon words/languages we speak. As we mature, we come to notice the differences in how people say things — even using the same words said with a different tone of voice leads us to different understandings, right?
Poetry spoken aloud is just this. And such subtle noticings can cue us into whole new worlds of meaning and possibility. Sometimes we discover the map of our world no longer even works and we find ourselves creating a whole new map. Some say the pandemic has done this to us, for us…a paradigm shift, whole new sets of values emerging for individuals and collectives.
My own biblical research has opened me more and more to the fun punnery of many of the stories we take for granted today. The Eden story is full of puns — the story is meant to elicit laughter. But not just any laughter…laughter aimed at meaning, at discovering possibilities in one’s own life. The story is really hilarious. And beautiful. And exceedingly clever in its punnery.
May our lives be so rich!
We invite you to such a feast of sounds and food…
this Sat, May 27…
The Inaugural VITALLY Wild Poetry Party
& Salute to Mike Eck, VITALITY co-founder
special lunch-potluck party
at Gorman Heritage Farm,
12 – 1:15pm ET — potluck
1:15 – 2:45pm — honoring Mike Eck for his many contributions to VITALITY, recognizing the bestsellers of vitalitybuzz.org, and an invitation to read a poem you wrote or you like, all invited to enjoy listening to these sounds aimed at meaning
All welcome! RSVP appreciated!
The sounds and moves Mike Eck has put into our world the past 13 years inspire. We look forward to sharing a bit more about all that very soon too, and even more at the party.
What might become possible for human life on this planet if we attuned our ears, our eyes, our hearts and whole selves to listening with playful possibility?
Brian Shircliff
