PRIMAL SCREAMS

Poem for Today - March 26, 2014

A QUIET POEM

My father screamed whenever the phone rang.

My aunt often screamed when she opened the door.

Out back, the willows caterwauled.*

In the kitchen, the faucet screamed

a drop at a time.

At school, they called screaming "recess"

or sometimes "music."

Our neighbors' daughter had a scream

more melodious than my own.

At first, Col. Parker had to pay girls

to get them to scream for Elvis.

I didn't want to scream when I saw The Beatles,

but I did. After that, I screamed for even

mediocre bands.

Late in his career, John Lennon

got into Primal Scream.

Many people find it relaxing to scream.

Just as crawling precedes walking, so screaming

precedes speech.

The roller coaster is just one of many

scream-inducing devices.

The ambulance tries, in its clumsy way, to emulate

the human scream, which in turn tries to emulate nature.

Wind is often said to shriek, but Sylvia Plath

also speaks of  “the parched scream of the sun."

Jim Morrison wanted to hear the scream of 'the butterfly.

With ultra-sensitive equipment, scientists measure

the screams of plants they've tortured.

It's proven that if you scream at a person

for years, then suddenly stop, he will hear even

the tenderest words of love as violent curses.

And to anyone who speaks above a whisper, 

he will say: "Don't you dare. 

Don't you dare raise your voice to me."

* Caterwaul 14th Century, 

to make a harsh cry,

to quarrel noisily

(c) Elaine Equi [2003]

Painting on top: 

The Scream 

[Skrik in Norwegian]. 

It's one of 4 paintings 

by Edvard Munch 

done by Edvard Munch 

between 1893-1910. 

They were entitled, 

"Der Schrei der Natur"]

The 4th version 

sold at Sotheby 

in 2012 for 

$119,922, 600.