[stylist] Poem: After the Winter

[Lynda Lambert]

Yes, Chris, it sounds very awkward when it is read by a synthetic voice of a 
machine. Chris,  this is one of the downfalls of using a synthetic voice to 
"read" a poem.  It is hard to hear tenderness and subtleties when they are 
absent when a machine reads to us.

Often, I scan in a poem using Kurzweil, and it is so much better to read 
with that program - but JAWS is just horrible to listen to for anything at 
all.

when a person who is sighted reads the poem, this line is very natural and 
flows very well.  It is exquisite, really, when he says that line.  It is 
like he is sitting there speaking and there is a very natural and tender 
pause just before he says, "love" to the person he is speaking to.

And, visually, it looks  very natural when a person can see to read it. It 
is as through there is a brief sigh there in that line, just as there would 
be when one person is speaking softly to another person.

Also, keep in mind that I had to place three periods/spaces after each line 
so they could be understood as the ends of the lines - and that also makes 
for clunky diction.

You know, I had some additional thoughts throughout the day as I was 
thinking of this poem. One of my precious former students has just lost her 
husband right before Christmas.  She is only in her 20s and was married only 
4 years.  I read this poem several times after getting a note from her 
today - speaking of the difficulties she is enduring following his death -
The poem can certainly be read as a passage through a dark and sad time, 
into a time when things are beautiful once again. I sent the poem to her to 
comfort her today. It was as though her husband was speaking to her through 
the tenderness and hope that is expressed in this poem. I think McKay 
expresses a deep sense of longing as well as optimism for a better time in 
the future.

Thanks for the really good question - I had the same reaction that you did 
when I listened to it initially.
Lynda








----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Kuell" <ckuell at comcast.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 4:34 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Poem: After the Winter


> Thanks for sharing this poem, Linda. I do like the imagery and yearning. 
> I'm not a poet, but why would he put a line break after 'love,' ? As I 
> listened, that just struck me as an odd place to put it.
>
> chris
>
>
>
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