
Image credit: C.E.Ayr
It’s a truly beautiful day in spring,
and the annual festival is in full swing.
I can feel in my bones the
thump, thump, thump
of the drumming.
I can see the swaying bodies of the crowd,
watch those at the front in their dance.
Their smiles speak volumes
as they twirl and prance.
I can watch the performers on the stage
as they strut their stuff;
their enjoyment is almost tangible.
I can revel in the cameraderie;
the air itself is electric.
The music, however, is a mystery —
I often wonder what it must be like to hear.
Word count: 99
Prompt: Friday Fictioneers
Disclaimer: I myself have SSD (single-sided deafness); I can only imagine what it must be like not to be able to hear at all, and I’m very sorry if I’ve got it wrong.
The juxtaposition of the Slade song and the lovely poem gives this post a certain je ne sais quoi. (But I don’t know what it is hoho.)
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The addition of the video was really an afterthought… I was struggling to think of a title for the piece and this one seemed to fit — and then I thought Hey, isn’t there a song with that title?, and that, as they say, is all she wrote. Not sure it was a good idea adding the ‘juxtaposition’, in retrospect I think it detracts from my piece.
Thanks for dropping by, Rick!
PS hoho indeed ;)
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Bloody hell. That’s a blast from the past! A brilliant one. Love the poem. I didn’t know you had deafness. Great post.
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Thank you!
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You’re welcome. Made my morning!
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Dear Pendantry,
Well written and that last line is a gut punch.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Welcome to Wibble, Rochelle, and thank you for hosting Friday Fictioneers!
Oh, and of course thank you for the compliment.
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Very cleverly done.
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Thank you!
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Interesting story. Did you ever hear of Evelyn Glennie? She was profoundly deaf, but was able to play in a top class professional symphony orchestra from the feel of the music.
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I never heard of her. That’s amazing!
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Wonderful twist at the end. She felt it right.
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Glad you think it was ‘wonderful’ :)
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You’re very welcome.
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I’ve read that people who can’t hear can still get a sense of it from the vibrations of the music. I don’t know how much enjoyment that can bring. Hearing is just another in the long list of little things most of us take for granted. I’m sure it’s a much larger thing when it’s gone.
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As I said in the post, I can only imagine what it’s like. I’m guessing here, but perhaps to someone who has been deaf from birth it’s not such a big deal as they don’t know what they’re missing; I suspect that it’s more of a trial if you’ve had hearing but have lost it — as someone with SSD I have a little sense of this, as I remember being able to hear in stereo but now I’m incapable of doing that.
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Great surprise ending. Certainly didn’t see that one coming.
Sorry your hearing loss is your inspiration, but it is good for the rest of us to see it from your point of view.
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I’m only partially hampered by my loss. But it does make me protective of the ear I have left (I steer well clear of over-loud music, for a start!)
Glad you liked the surprise ending. I enjoy getting those in; it’s a real challenge in flash fiction :)
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Yes we have to be quick about it. ;0)
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Indeed! :D
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Killer last line. Even though I can hear well, I still feel the music in my bones. It’s more like an energetic eddy. Beautiful poem!
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Welcome to Wibble. And thank you very much for your encouraging words!
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I had a peek at your book. Good stuff! Have put it on my wish list owning to lack-of-time and too many unread books on my Kindle.
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Thank you! :)
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This had a great twist at the end. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to not hear – unless they never knew it. Then it just would be.
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Thanks, Dale, I very much appreciate your comments.
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Well done. Something to reflect upon there.
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Thank you for your visit, and your kind comment.
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I actually do know someone who loves going to live music gigs despite being totally deaf. The song you chose fits perfectly with your tale.
Here’s mine!
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Thanks for the visit, and for your input!
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Beautifully described, and the last line took me by surprise.
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Thanks for your visit and your comments, Liz. Glad I was able to surprise you!
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You have a way with last lines. So powerful.
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Thank you! (In this case I cheated and wrote the last line first ;))
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Writing does not have to be a straight line. Sometimes you start at the end, sometimes in the middle, then move backwards, then jump forward, then to the beginning… Whatever works, works!
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Single-sided deafness. I never heard it so-described before. I’ve always been fascinated by deaf people who dance or skate by feeling the vibrations from the ground through their feet. Anyway, I enjoyed your post :)
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Single-sided deafness is a pain. I can’t echo-locate, for one thing (I can’t tell where sounds are coming from). One time in this HUGE car park, I got separated from my friends. They could see me, and they shouted “OVER HERE!”… I started walking in the direction I thought was the right one, but then I heard “NO, over HERE!” so I changed directions. My friends were killing themselves laughing when I got to them; they said it had been like in one of those arcades where you shoot the duck and it changes direction….
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My husband recently had an air bubble in one ear that blocked his hearing. He couldn’t echo-locate either. Happy to say it’s gone now, but it was disturbing, for sure.
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Glad to hear that he’s recovered!
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Lovely piece of poetry – My brother is deaf and as a young boy he used to place his ear against the gramophone (now there is an old term) and listen to Petula Clark’s “Down Town” – for hours.
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Thank you for the compliment, James! Please say ‘hi’ to your brother from me :)
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This is a great angle at the photo prompt! Generally, even the completely deaf can ‘hear’ (or sense, or feel) some sounds, especially beat, tempo, drums, base. At some level of music, the vibration itself shakes the bones of one’s skull (yep, literally) and becomes sensation. So, even completely deaf persons can enjoy a concert, with some sense of ‘hearing/feeling/sensing’ and not only visuals. Not the words or higher notes, but they can still be a part, and even play some of the instruments or dance to the beat! FWIW.
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Welcome to Wibble, Na’ama!
Glad you liked it. And thank you for the interesting info.
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You’re welcome. I had to put on my audiologist hat for a moment … :)
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NIce poem with a sobering end, well written
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Thank you!
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I dig the poem but I don’t “feel the noise” (sorry, just not my kind of music).
And, like blindzanygirl, I didn’t know you had (single-sided) deafness. It’s a reminder that what we don’t know about others we meet should make us humble about first impressions. Who among us doesn’t have inapparent issues, yet it is all too easy to make snap judgments/assumptions based on inadequate knowledge.
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Very true! When analysing online communications, eggspurts often mention the adverse effect of the lack of non-textual cues (such as tone of voice, facial expression and so on) yet the nuances of online relationships go much deeper than that.
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