Listen

Sounds in the house
day and night
are a source of fun
if you listen right.

Hear that kitty
scratch, scratch,
scratching?  Her claws
are sharpening to
do her catching. 

Listen to the washing
machine getting
clothes clean, splish,
splash, splish splashing
whirling and wringing.

The over head fan
is off its rocker so
makes an annoying
clink-clankle, clink-clankle
with each spin it takes. 

The dishwasher hums,
it’s pretty quiet,
except when the water
sprays about–pshhhhh,
pshhhhh, pshhhhh!

Just one quick
click in your ear,
somebody’s turned
on a light that’s near.

Oh, gosh what’s
the buzzing that
we’re hearing?  It’s the
kitchen timer saying
dinner’s nearing!

Water is running
in the sink
to add to soap to
make some bubbles.

Some break free
and float up high
popping gently,
quiet as can be. 

Now there’s a sweet
sound I love the best,
the sounds of laughter
like giggling bells!

Started out writing this as an entry for The Gooseberry Gardens children theme and realized that it would work for today’s dVerse Poets theme too–I love when that happens!

My entry for Gooseberry Gardens–Children’s Stories, Riddles, Counting Songs, and Rhyming Lyrics: http://gooseberrygoespoetic.blogspot.com/

And at dVerse Poets–Onomatopoeia: http://dversepoets.com/2012/01/07/onomato-poetics/

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42 Comments

  1. actually the knocking of the ceiling fan lulls me to sleep…ha…and that darn cat scratching keeps me awake…out cats scratch on teh windows making and ungodly racket…nice capture of sound bodhi

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    • Haha…I know, I have to have a fan sound lulling me to sleep too. Our indoor cat makes only occasional scratching sounds on the rug by the front door…usually no ungodly racket comes out of her… Thanks, Brian.

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  2. except for the cat, it sure sounds like the same ones in my house….

    i also mixed up two prompts with my post….he..he… have a good weekend ~

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  3. Sounds very much like my own humble abode with cats and everything else. Love it!

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    • Actually, as I sat here listening and trying to hear any sounds…I couldn’t hear much of anything…it’s dang quiet around here! Thanks, Renee.

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  4. Really well done!

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  5. wonderful descriptions of household sounds. This is so sweet – it makes a great children’s verse (and onomatopoeic one as well, of course!)

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  6. ah you captured those sounds so well…they are so familiar that we tend to overhear them…or the kids make so much noise that we can’t hear them…smiles..enjoyed it ..

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  7. Lovely everyday sounds are all around us if we just stop and listen… thanks for this.

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  8. Oh, I’m different to most of your readers (it seems) can’t stand any noise when I’m trying to fall to sleep. A ticking clock used to drive me crazy, so, I could’ve jumped for joy when they bought out silent digital ones. LOL
    Nice use of both prompts.

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    • When trying to sleep, a ticking clock would drive me crazy too and a water drip…but somehow I’ve become accustomed to that fan noise at night..even in the winter!

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  9. i lived in a mobile home once, and the washing machine made the whole home shake. one day, i woke up to the shaking thinking at first it was the machine, then realizing that i was the one who did the laundry, and i had not been up to do the laundry yet, it was an earthquake!!

    bumble bee

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  10. ManicDdaily

     /  January 8, 2012

    Very cute, so vivid. K.

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  11. This reminds me of something I saw on Sesame Street years ago. They used everyday songs similar to what you have here and turned them into music.

    Loved how you used both inanimate things and animate beings and then showed their purposes through their actions or the reasons for them.

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  12. Ah, sounds very sweet. Sesame Street is so creative.

    I’m glad you liked this…thanks for coming by.

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  13. fun sound bites,

    lovely cat.

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  14. You really put me into the moment of domestic bliss with this poem. Well done my friend 🙂

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  15. loved this:) I read this to my children and my five-year-old loved it:)

    great poem!!

    ~L

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    • That’s the best review of all! I’m so glad that you all enjoyed the poem…thanks so much..and a hug to that five year old! 🙂

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  16. This is wonderfully whimsical. Sorry, I miss you at dVerse. nice to read you hear.

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  17. This is sweet. I remember the time my Nannie came to visit and she heard and saw the lights from the highway department outside my bedroom window and thought aliens had attacked.

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  18. you rock, girl,

    very cute.

    🙂

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  19. What fun … these are the sounds similar in my house except in addition to the cat, must add dogs!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

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  20. Androgoth

     /  January 11, 2012

    A very nice read Gayle,
    I think that writing for a
    younger audience is an
    adventure in itself 🙂

    Have a great evening now 🙂

    Androgoth XXx

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    Reply
    • Thank you, Androgoth. Yes, it’s fun to try to write for a younger audience. You have to choose your words carefully…can’t shock their tender sensibilities now can we! 🙂

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  21. loved the way you have written about household sounds 🙂
    they all sound so sweet when they are natural, not artificially made like unnecessary clanking of utensils, our maid used to clank the utensils so loudly during working, washing that we had to run to her and tell her that please go a little easy on them or else the corpses will come out of graves to enquire whats going on. ha ha.

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    • It was a prompt to write something for children and then another prompt to use “sound words”. I combined the two. I’m glad you like it.

      There’s no need for unnecessary clanking and banging in the kitchen…and you’re right, who wants to disturb the corpses. Yikes!

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  22. Excellent, Gail! You know? You think you are living in silence until something stops making their noise.

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