Listening Amidst Noise – Six Word Fridays

by Belinda Munoz on September 17, 2010

The books, the podcasts, the news
Oh, so many things to peruse
Gimme, gimme, all avenues to amuse
Fact from fiction, let’s not confuse
Ignorance, naivete, a wise person eschews
No entertainment or information, I refuse
No money, no time, no excuse

A bevy of sounds, priced high
Neither music nor soul food, my
Noise here, racket there, no lie
Auctioneer speaks, bidding begins, paddles fly
Items meet bidders, bidders duly comply
Razor-edged reasoning skills quick to deny
Buried voice within, shy, won’t try
Sounds from everywhere made to pacify
Price skyrockets, paddles go down, goodbye
Big but empty moments, lifetime supply
Winning feels like losing, oh my
Hearts race, minds pace, conflicts, aye
A question we all ask, why?

Soon the prattle signals something’s amiss
Remote in-hand, surround sound, I miss
Buffering, static white noise, my bliss
An audible emptiness not to dismiss
Nothing but hollow in the abyss
No holler, no hoot, no hiss

From within I pay close attention
Mind and heart start to awaken
Around neither is tied no ribbon
Nor preference for passion or reason
Neither is of hell or heaven
Instead, they have things in common
Together, they can share a vision
That won’t scream, that won’t deafen
Within their fabric truth is woven
It’s there if I truly listen.

sixwords_brown

{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Christine LaRocque September 17, 2010 at 4:41 am

“From within I pay close attention
Mind and heart start to awaken” (Loved this!)

I hope to get here too
Too much happening all around me
The noise is overwhelming, need quiet!

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2 Belinda Munoz September 18, 2010 at 8:09 am

I can certainly understand overwhelming noise. I once met Zainab Salbi, author, activist and head of Women for Women Intl., a woman admirable for many qualities (one of which having survived Saddam Hussein’s reign). Anyway, she travels to all these places where women are put in distressing situations (to say the least) — lots of noise that assaults all senses. I asked her what she does to stay sane and she says she meditates. That started me on my meditation journey and I have to say it has helped immensely with tuning out chatter.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful anniversary week! xo

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3 Aging Mommy September 17, 2010 at 6:44 am

It’s there if I truly listen…..yes, wise words, hard sometimes to hear yourself or the things that really matter amidst the constant noise of life. Once again, great writing, I look forward now to reading your Friday posts each and every week.

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4 Belinda Munoz September 18, 2010 at 8:12 am

Thank you so much, Jane, for your supportive words. I am enjoying reading your fiction writing. You are very funny and imaginative, and I’d love to see more of your work. Also, you are inspiring me to join in on the fun…maybe one of these days I’ll link up to the fiction writing meme.

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5 Elle September 17, 2010 at 8:51 am

Beautiful words!

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6 Belinda Munoz September 18, 2010 at 8:12 am

Thank you, Elle. Yours was beautiful, too!

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7 Brook September 17, 2010 at 9:10 am

I’m a sucker for a good rhyme. That certainly is one.

Thank you for this lovely peek into your mind, heart, and craft.
I will surely return for another.

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8 Belinda Munoz September 18, 2010 at 8:34 am

Thanks, Brook. And ditto on your Six Word Friday post.

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9 Leslie September 17, 2010 at 1:39 pm

We recently gave up on the remote (and the television is on less frequently, based on that simple convenience! A bit embarrassing, but good and true). But oh, if there were a remote for the white noise, the invasive noise, the needless and nonsense noise – MUTE.

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10 Belinda Munoz September 18, 2010 at 8:39 am

Hi Leslie. Isn’t it funny how something so simple turns out to be such a genius idea?

I’d love a mute button for the noise but even with my yoga-practicing and meditating mind & body, I still get mute button malfunctions. Just one of the many things that distinguish us from robots, I guess.

Good to see you here.

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11 Melissa September 17, 2010 at 2:45 pm

Mind and heart, woven together truth:
More a whisper than a shout.
That kind of listening requires self-discipline.

(Also: thank you for the kind words!) :)

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12 Belinda Munoz September 18, 2010 at 8:32 am

You’re welcome for the kind words, Melissa. I’m in awe of you.

Also, I don’t know if I’ve ever thanked you for leading Six Word Fridays. It’s such a fun meme and I get so much out of it, so, a big thanks!

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13 Mel Gallant September 17, 2010 at 8:41 pm

This reminds me of how difficult of a time I have clearing my mind during yoga to focus on “listening” to my body. You know how you’re supposed to be in the moment, concentrating on the movement your are in and on your breathing?

I’ll be doing great and then the next thing I know, I’m thinking about errands I need to run, that project at work, what my daughter/husband is doing…and then I have to start concentrating on being present in the moment again. This kind of listening takes practice!

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14 Belinda Munoz September 18, 2010 at 8:28 am

I agree, Mel. It takes practice. I have definitely felt that way in yoga class before. I find that I’m not so good at quieting my mind if I’m attempting to do a new pose that I haven’t mastered (like stand on my head with no support from a wall).

I have gone through many years of having mostly questions but lately, I’m learning to find some answers that apply to me, and most of these answers I find by listening to myself. For example, with regard to making a decision between two choices. I used to make pro and con lists. The more I can see in black and white, the better. But now, I’m finding that I’m able to do without the pro and con list and making more and more decisions based on intuition, some might say.

Thanks for stopping by!

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15 Jenny September 26, 2010 at 11:01 am

Beautiful!
I recently met someone at a party, and she was talking about her desperate need to buy a house in the country because she couldn’t cope with the noise in the city. It was so clear that the noise she was trying to escape was inside, but sadly she wasn’t ready to hear it, and it’s not the kind of info you force on anyone, least of all a stranger.
It is all so much about looking within.

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16 Rudri September 29, 2010 at 5:01 pm

Lovely Belinda. Do you have other poems (that are beyond the six word series) that you have worked on? I often think poetry is the hardest form to write, master and to ultimately evoke emotion out of people. I believe you have that skill. Looking forward to more of these posts.

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17 Belinda Munoz September 29, 2010 at 5:12 pm

Hi Rudri. I started linking up with One Shot Wednesday three weeks ago and I’m in my third week. It’s a lot freer than the 6-words and I don’t rhyme nearly as often.

I’ve published a few other poems on my blog early in the year. I also post micro-poetry on twitter, haiku or gogyohka, though not lately since I’m so busy at work these days.

I promised myself if I’m going to keep blogging, it needs to be fun. So far, I’m keeping that promise pretty well.

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