Sound and Hearing Poems

Have You Seen The Sound?

Have you seen the sound of dark, mean thunder?

Or maybe the sound of solid, crystal wind.

Have you seen the sound of beautiful, sweet voices?

Or maybe the sound of leaves, carefully falling to the ground.

Have you see the sounds?

If you haven't, 

This is what they look like.

If you look close to where the sounds are coming from

Little tiny, diamond - shaped crystals float away from the sound.

They look beautiful in the dark sky,

Rolling away from you.

Down the hill

They become...

Invisible.

By: Shaina

(Shaina is a 4th grader now.  She started poetry in Grade 2 with me.  In Grade 3, she was part of my Poetry Pals Club.  Shaina has a wonderful talent and I hope she continues to write poetry. I look forward to reading some of her published work in the future. November 2002)

A Pickle Is Long

A pickle is long

And an orange is round,

But I wonder sometimes...

Is there shape to a sound

like a whisper

or a whistle

or a laugh

or a sneeze?

What shapes would you think of

for sounds like these?

   Vivian Gouled

Voice Box

I can whisper. (can you hear me?)

I can shout. (Hey! Throw me the ball!)

I can hum when I'm about. (Hmmmmm)

I can laugh. (ha, ha, hee, hee, ho, ho)

I can sing. (la, la, la, la, la, la, la)

I can sob when I'm crying. (boo hoo)

I can yodel. (yo de lay hee hooo)

I can talk. (Could I have another cookie please?)

I can giggle when I walk. (tee, hee)

All these sounds my voice box makes. (point to larynx)

I use them all to communicate (all turn around and begin talking)

Orders

Muffle the wind;

Silence the clock;

Muzzle the mice;

Curb the small talk;

Cure the hinge-squeak;

Banish the thunder.

Let me sit silent,

Let me wonder

-A.M. Klein

Ping-Pong

Chitchat

wigwag

rickrack

zigzag

knickknack

gewgaw

riffraff

seesaw

crisscross

flip-flop

ding-dong

tiptop

singsong

mishmash

King Kong

bong.

-Eve Merriam

Noise

I like noise.

The whoop of a boy, the thud of a hoof,

The rattle of rain on a galvanized roof,

The hubbub of traffic, the roar of a train,

The throb of machinery numbing the brain,

The switching of wires in an overhead tram,

The rush of the wind, a door on the slam,

The boom of the thunder, the crash of the waves,

The din of a river that races and raves,

The crack of a rifle, the clank of a pail,

The strident tattoo of a swift slapping sail.

From any old sound that the silence destroys

Arises a gamut of soul-stirring joys.

I like noise.

- Jessie Pope

In the Kitchen

In the kitchen

After the aimless

Chatter of the plates,

The murmurings of the gas,

The chuckle of the water pipes

And the sharp exchanges

Of knives, forks and spoons,

Comes the serious quiet,

When the sink slowly clears its throat

And you can hear the occasional rumble

Of the refrigerator's tummy

As it digests the cold.

-John Cotton

Sound

Pssst!

Have you hear what's going around?

Sound!

Do you know how sound behaves?

It travels in invisible waves.

How do you know the waves are there?

They vibrate through the air.

When the waves reach our ear,

Sound is what we hear!

Pssst!

Have you heard what's going around?

Sound!

Echo

In a valley, valley, valley,

Or a canyon, canyon, canyon,

Give a shout, shout, shout

To find out, out, out

If there's an echo, echo, echo

In the air, air, air

Sound will bounce, bounce, bounce

Off surfaces there, there, there.

You'll hear an echo, echo, echo,

Echo, echo, echo, echo . . .