The only job she could land
landed her in an out-of-the-way town.
She’d cajoled and connived her way
to a choir of four.
Refusing to admit defeat,
she would not
call them a quartet.
David, eyes cast down interminably,
droned a background hum
for whatever tune was sung.
Delilah, the defiant one.
Deliberately off-pitch to shine,
spotlight stolen by default.
Dissonant in life as well.
Miriam, the honey-blonde.
Sensuous red lips
licked and dewed before each word,
mouthed dulcet tones too late.
Behind in every measure,
she flashed her thigh for all to see
beneath unbuttoned robe.
And Carl, the rapper.
Lordy, what a snazzy guy.
Snapped his fingers
while chanting words.
Smelled of weed with eyes glazed,
unwilling to shed
his percussive beat.
She smiled and waved her baton,
directing the motley crew.
Sweat dribbled down her chest
to that delicate spot
between her ample breasts.
Music is as music does,
always music to her ear.
She’d defied the warnings,
music her one true love.
So here she stood,
tone deaf and proud.
Her quartet, after all,
was magnificently loud.
Written for Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets across the globe.
Today, Laura asks us to write a “sound poem” choosing one word from five lists she provides. She also points us toward Hart’s Thesaurus of the Senses, a valuable resource for poets. Laura, I ordered a copy yesterday. The words I used (or forms of the word) were drone, dissonant, dulcet, dribble, and chant. I also added a fifth word from the list, honey. Truly had fun with this prompt. Thank you, Laura! Pub opens at 3 PM Boston time. Come join us!
PS: dedicated with humor to my daughter and son, both of whom direct a chorus and/or choir; and son-in-law, who composes choral music.
Image from A Scrub’s Life, February 1, 2017: “Sometimes We Can Be A Little Tone Deaf”
lillian the home poet 
This was fun! As someone who really enjoys singing, but who has a voice only drunk or desperate people seem to appreciate, I really enjoyed this poem!
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Some charming caricatures in your ensemble Lillian, peppered with the chosen sound words
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LOL at “tone deaf and proud”
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Yes! I laughed aloud!
❤
David
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I absolutely love, love this, Lillian 😀 Especially; “Miriam, the honey-blonde. Sensuous red lips
licked and dewed before each word, mouthed dulcet tones too late.”💝💝
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Gosh, I’m not sure this is a concert I would want to attend, but at least she found her passion.
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Dogs howl and mice cover their ears when I “sing”, so this whole humorous piece resonates well with me. Of course, you snagged my attention with that “delicate spot between her ample breasts”.
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Very cute and I hope they all see your poem, Lillian. My mind went to Ethel Merman, one of my favorites.
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This was splendidly humorous Lil, actually coaxing an audible laugh from me. I guess “magnificently loud” is an accomplishment of sorts, I mean, if ya’ gonna be wrong — be WRONG! 🙂
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Silly and delightful, as a long-time chorus member myself I can hear this cacophony clearly. Nice ending reveal as well. I enjoyed the light tone of this piece.
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I really, really like the voice/tone you’ve given this … my goodness..the sweat dripping down between breasts…the effort and passion is all there! Wonderful poetry to read..
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Humorous and loud. 😉
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What a fantastic sound-poem this is, Lillian! Here’s to the quartet!
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Very funny and well written. I can’t sing either!
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What a cast of characters! I’d love to hear them perform, but only once. Briefly. No, never mind, your descriptions work just fine. Very funny stuff.
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Really enjoyed this, Lillian. Was smiling throughout as I read.
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I love it… I wonder what you may do with material like that. Have you ever seen the Swedish film “as it is in heaven” … a bit similar
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So good to see you at LIVE! Will definitely look up that movie. Hope I can find it with subtitles😊
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I can see them in my mind. Now I want to hear them sing!
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