i hear a symphony

My sister sent me Lighthead, a book of poems by Terrance Hayes. As I read the back jacket it mentioned that he found inspiration for some of his pieces in pecha kucha, a Japanese presentation format according to the cover. I had not heard of this before and upon reading each of his works written in this style was not able to really decipher what it was (not like haiku that I knew). I found myself trying to sound it out out loud. As the two words rolled off my tongue it felt fun, sounded a little like cha-cha but I knew it probably had nothing to do with scraping and shuffling across a floor in four beats.

I am quite intrigued when I stumble onto the unfamiliar and immensely smug about the fact that I can quickly school myself with a quick Google search. The proper pronunciation for this form of expression is 'peh-CHAK-cha' (one note more than the cha-cha, so close but not even) and what it is is an interesting way for several individuals to show their creative work (20 slides for 20 seconds each). However the fact that completely captivated me was its translation; pecha kucha means chatter or the sound of conversation. Musicality was back in the mix. I immediately thought about being in the midst of a crowded room as a symphony of voices swell into an undecipherable conversation that is far from cacophonous to my ear, traveled back to Egypt to situate myself amongst the melodic chatter of folks speaking words that needed no translation to find a connection with at the soul level. 

I enjoy hearing people talk, particularly when they have an accent, but am finding more and more pleasure in not being actively involved in the conversation, i.e., moving my mouth. Moving it doesn't always mean we are making a contribution to the dialog; there is so much to be heard and seen when we stop our flow. Active observation can reveal new and intriguing perceptions about not only our friends and colleagues but can also provide new and intriguing insight into ones own self. Active zoning (not to be confused with eavesdropping) in a space all a buzz with chit chat is sheer fascination! My goodness the things one learns when able to identify then concentrate on one bar of the symphony not for the spy factor but for what can be found in a few beats of affection, discord, exclamation, proclamation, encouragement, warning...the songs just go on and on so...

keep your peepers open!®