Memory is a strange, wonderful, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking thing. Memory is the history of our lives, and like all history, the triumphs and losses are seen differently, depending on who’s telling the story.
I was reminded recently that my first book, Poems From The Edge Of Spring was released six years ago. A long (or short) time ago, depending on your point of view, so I picked it up and strolled down memory lane. While I don’t have my poetry memorized, as I read the words I’d written the memories that inspired them were vividly alive once more.
As it happens, I was given a digital voice recorder about the time Poems From The Edge of Spring was released. I used it once and promptly forgot about it. I don’t really like the sound of my voice when I hear it on recordings. Who does?—unless you’re a performer by nature, of course. But it seemed like serendipity that the two should come together in my mind at the same time, so with no one in the house to listen to my attempts (and there were quite a few), I recorded two of my favorite poems, which happen to deal with memories, both happy and heartbreaking. Hearing a poem read is a bit different from reading it yourself, so I hope you’ll enjoy these efforts and can relate to them with your own memories, and I’d love to hear what you think.
Odd Memory
Counting
Oh, Elise, you shouldn’t be hesitant to record, yes a little shaky, but really sounding nice, the more you do it the more comfortable you will be, the words are beautiful and so is the voice. Looking forward to more recordings.
Thanks a bunch. It’s not as easy as you might think to read aloud for a recording. I tripped over words, or changed what was written quite a few times. It took a while to get them to this point, I can tell you. But I’m really happy you enjoyed them. Knowing that, makes it worth the effort.
Your stories are even more meaningful when I hear you speak the words.
Thanks so much, Lucille. It means a lot to hear you say that.
I am really not a written poetry person, unless you count naughty ditties and rhymes. 🙂 I never listen to audio books as I prefer my own narrative, nuances and “voices” as I read. However, hearing poetry read aloud makes it much more comfortable and easier for me to indulge in it. So good job, and remember – others don’t hear your voice as you hear it, recorded or not, and yours has a soothing quality much like “The Walton’s” narrator, (not sure if it was Earl Hamner himself but very easy to listen to.)
Thank you so much, Irene. You’re right about our voices sounding different to the way we hear them. I don’t hear “the Queens” in my voice when I speak, but I definitely hear it when I watching videos of myself. On the rare occasions that I’ve recorded my voice like this, I make a point of speaking a little slower and softer than my normal speaking voice in hopes that it comes off better–and I think it works pretty well. A good narrator’s voice is worth the person’s weight in gold.
I love the poem. Everyone can relate to an odd memory. Your voice sounds different to me. I guess it’s your reading voice. Nice, well done.
Thanks so much, Rosemary. I suppose the difference in the sound of my voice is because I made a point to speak slower and softer than I normally would. I really appreciate the feedback!