Monday, May 8, 2017

Sans Echolalia


painting by Talbot Hughes.


Sans Echolalia

“Music is the harmonious voice of creation, an
echo of the invisible world.”--Giuseppe Mazzini.

It’s unnerving
to stand 
on the lip
of a chasm,
  
                        and shout
                     the name of
               your beloved,
                     or God,
                     or fuck--

and no echo
returns,
just
terrible silence--

                      like dropping
                      a rock into
                      a sink-hole

and you never
hear it

hit the bottom. 


Glenn Buttkus

Posted over at dVerse Poets Pub Q44
at

17 comments:

  1. De JacksonMay 8, 2017 at 12:55 PM

    Love the quote, and the resounding, terrifying echo of that silence.

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  2. Jane DoughertyMay 8, 2017 at 1:03 PM

    That is the ultimate put-down—utter silence.

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  3. brudbergMay 8, 2017 at 1:03 PM

    Oh that terrible silence... there is nothing that kill you with a sharper blade...

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  4. AnotherFearlessYear.netMay 8, 2017 at 1:12 PM

    A chasm must be mighty deep for there to be no echo at all. And when that chasm is in the human heart, it is sadder still. Nice take on the prompt.

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  5. Kim M. RussellMay 8, 2017 at 1:19 PM

    That's a great title, Glenn, and the shape of the poem echoes the content. I've never stood on the lip of a chasm and it's a difficult thing to imagine, but your Quadrille has made me think about it and brought me closer to the edge.

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  6. indybevMay 8, 2017 at 1:27 PM


    ...sans echolalia ... Love that title! In fact, I love it all. Bravo!

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  7. Sanaa RizviMay 8, 2017 at 1:34 PM

    Such a brilliantly penned quadrille, Glenn! Love the title too!❤️

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  8. Buddah MoskowitzMay 8, 2017 at 1:35 PM

    Ouch! Not even an echo back? So much written here in so few words. Excellent!

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  9. JillyMay 8, 2017 at 1:57 PM

    Oh, my! Glenn, you have made me feel that emptiness of the moment. Love this!

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  10. Walt WojtanikMay 8, 2017 at 2:42 PM

    There is such a vacuous air to this Glenn. Expansive and small in the same breath. The lack of expected echo was unexpected! A good write!

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  11. Frank HubenyMay 8, 2017 at 3:16 PM

    I liked the comparison of not hearing an echo and not hearing the sound of something drop below. It must be pretty deep.

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  12. VictoriaMay 8, 2017 at 3:24 PM

    Sounds of silence--what we hear in our darkest moments. I forgot that word, echolalia--a symptom of some organic brain disease and I forgot which one, too.

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  13. GraceMay 8, 2017 at 3:48 PM

    I am terrified not hearing any echo or sound Glenn ~ That ddep sink hole of silence is a nightmare ~

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  14. CedarwindMay 8, 2017 at 4:52 PM

    To face no echo, no response is unnerving, frustrating, lonely

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  15. ✿May 8, 2017 at 8:33 PM

    I'm sorry if I'm way off, but the last line sounds like someone's getting a silent spanking, or ...

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  16. Sarah RussellMay 8, 2017 at 9:03 PM

    Outstanding! Love it.

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  17. Gayle Walters RoseMay 9, 2017 at 8:25 PM

    Oh, that's heavy. That type of silence is like a death knell.

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