This poem from my chapbook, WOOD, was used to test and demonstrate the audio capabilities of CREATIVE BLOOMINGS. The player below, or in the lower right corner will provide the sound (make sure your volume is up). And suddenly, you know what I sound like! Walt.
AND SUDDENLY THE ROOM FELL SILENT
(Read by Walter J Wojtanik)
Labored and shallow,
a respirator kept the last vestige
of breath on a regimented pace.
Inhalation and exhalation mechanized;
keeping the plane of life still in view
for eyes closed and mortified.
All sense of pulse was just
a faint memory, and suddenly
the sound of a father’s voice was hard to recall.
The strength of it nestled in a heart
so deeply that it defied fibrillations.
The ashen hue of his drawn cheekbones
made the vision of him indistinguishable.
Erratic and broken now, each gasp begged
to be his last. A faint squeeze
of a clutching hand flashed the image
of your “hero” walking you across the street
for the first time. Now as he crossed,
it was your grip that led the way.
There came a gurgle; a guttural gag.
And suddenly the room fell silent.
(c) Copyright 2010 – Walter j Wojtanik
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
Comes through nice and clear, Walt. Such a moving piece.
Thanks Susan. The chapbook is mainly about my relationship with my Dad who was a master carpenter. It didn’t hurt that we lived on Wood Street. One of the special ones for me.
Terrific feature! Sounds great. Loved your reading.
Thank you as well, Janice. Glad we’re getting the functions working. This will add a lot to the site. Maybe we’ll feature one a week. Maybe one of the bloom poems or a contributor’s selection.
…and MAYBE a CD compilation of the collection eventually?
Love the audio and would like to see the poem posted with it 🙂
How does that work for you now, Chi? Thanks for the suggestion.
Thanks! I love hearing you read the poem. You have a radio voice by the way, but then I want to see the poem and mull over its meaning :). Thanks!
You sure don’t sound like your picture. haha
A good face for radio, huh Earl?
Wow! That was so cool! I just loved hearing you read that poem. It really came alive.
I always wanted to do that, Randi! It adds so much hearing it read. That is the possibility of which I spoke.
I am soooo technically challenged. I don’t see a player link on my page. What am I doing wrong? 😦
Look at the post now Ellen. The player is imbedded in the post and I have included the poem. Does this format seem a better solution? I welcome these suggestions.
Perfection!
You’re just saying that, but thanks Pard!
Nope. Not at all. I didn’t just say it. Nope.
I just typed it. 😉
Always the smart-aspiring poet, aren’t you?
Oooooh!
snickersnicker
My computer has no speakers, so I can’t use this feature. Reminds me of a time I was at a friend’s birthday party, where he has a small band playing. I said to the players, “I’ll bet you’d sound good if I could hear you.”
*giggling*
You’re a funny guy William! 😉
Very nice modulated voice. More, more, more 😉
Thanks Alvarado. We plan many more, hopefully by the poets themselves!
Wonderful! Love this poem. Love the whole book! And hearing it read by the poet? Marie said it: Perfection! 🙂
Thank you, Pamela. I was glad you had a chance to hear it when I originally recorded it. I couldn’t decide which poem to preview. But this one seemed just the right length.
I enjoyed it the first time I heard it and every time since. This will be a great feature here, Walt.
Thanks Paula! I believe so too!
Walt, how wonderful to hear your voice! The poem could easily be for my father as well. It is a beautiful achievement, and I am honored to have been able to listen as well as read.
Thank you Sara. I’m honored you had connected with it!
What a touching, emotion-filled piece! Nicely penned and read, and I’m sorry for your loss. Praying for you, friend!
Thanks Erin. It was an emotional experience in its true re-telling.
Enjoyed hearing your voice; nice to attach that to your poems that I read in the future. The poem cuts a bit deep for me, after all the death and loss we suffered last year. I’m looking forward to the day when I can read a poem like this and not feel choked.
It is interesting to finally hear a voice and attach it to a face/person you know through reputation. Much like Earl’s comment of the voice not fitting what he perceived. I look forward to the day I can hear some of you in readings. I’ve heard Iain on his podcasts and he is distinctive. His reading of my “Tides” was striking. But his tender rendering of Dyson McIllwain’s final poem is haunting in that I could imagine Dyson’s voice in Iain’s brogue. I’m sorry for you losses last year. Time does heal, but she takes too long doing it! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and emotion, Marilyn.
This emotive poem became even more so with your reading, Walt. A fine reading indeed and a touching piece…well done. :)’s
😀 Thanks Hannah Smiles. It demonstrates the power of the words we write. Hearing them plants them deeper in our minds and we can visualize them more clearly! We are affected by emotion, and as poets we write how it feels!
[…] the successful test of the audio system with “And Suddenly, the Room Fell Silent”, I am pleased to present a reading by Marilyn Braendeholm (Misky) of her poem “The Spirit of […]