Questions. Sound. Answers. Silence.

EXERCISE 116: 21 QUESTIONS

each sound

Create a list of twenty-one questions comprised of many words with ‘t’ sounds and short ‘i’ and short ‘e’ sounds (e.g. tent, tarnish, elephant, pits). Read the questions aloud several times, enjoying them just for the recurrence of each sound. (Limit questions that can be answered by yes or no to no more than three.)

How do we tell time? What if clocks tell time with arms? What if trees tell time with trunks? What if turtles tell time with shells? What if days tell time with sunshine? What if nights tell time with moonbeams? What if toes tell time with balance? What if tears tell time with falling? What if thieves tell time with secrets? What if angels tell time with wishes? What if miracles tell time with rainbows? What if cats tell time with yawns? What if dogs tell time with belly rubs? What if tea tells time with leaves. What if trucks tell time with tires? What if tables tell time with chairs? What if tattle-tales tell time with gossip? What if telescopes tell time with stars? What if leftovers tell time with refrigerator frost? What if hope tells time with love?

EXERCISE 117: 21 MORE QUESTIONS

fire, tribe, derive

Create a list of twenty-one questions comprised of many words with ‘r’ sounds and long ‘i’ sounds (e.g. fire, tribe, derive). Read the questions aloud several times, enjoying them just for the recurrence of each sound. (Limit questions that can be answered by yes or no to no more than three.)

How do we build a fire? Do we build a fire by rubbing sticks? Do we build a fire by throwing stones? Do we build a fire by grabbing stars? Do we build a fire by beating drums? Do we build a fire by singing hymns? Do we build a fire by climbing trees? Do we build a fire by holding hands? Do we build a fire by whispering sweetly? Do we build a fire by standing firmly? Do we build a fire by blinking slowly? Do we build a fire by lighting candles? Do we build a fire by breathing deeply? Do we build a fire noticing intently? Do we build a fire by healthy eating? Do we build a fire by drinking water? Do we build a fire by telling the truth? Do we build a fire by hearts breaking?Do we build a fire by living joyfully? Do we build a fire by digging deeply? Do we build a fire by wielding swords? Do we build a fire creating peace? 

EXERCISE 118: 21 ANSWERS

enjoying all the sounds

Answer each of your twenty-one t-i-e questions with answers (full sentences) comprised of many words with ‘b’, ‘m’, and long ‘o’ (e.g. oboe, motion, mobius). One of the answers should be an exclamation! The answers don’t have to make sense, though they can. Read each original question and its corresponding answer aloud, enjoying all the sounds.

How do we tell time? What if clocks tell time with arms? Then we measure time exactly. What if trees tell time with trunks? Then rings are time’s keys. What if turtles tell time with shells? Then shells are time’s story. What if days tell time with sunshine? Then we see time’s lightness. What if nights tell time with moonbeams? Then moonbeams are lightness, too. What if toes tell time with balance? Then hands tell truth with strength. What if tears tell time with falling? Then time is the heart of truth. What if thieves tell time with secrets? Then honest people tell time with truth. What if angels tell time with wishes? Then demons tell time with curses. What if miracles tell time with rainbows? Then dreams tell time with crystals. What if cats tell time with yawns? Then parakeets tell time with song. What if dogs tell time with belly rubs? Then pandas tell time with bamboo. What if tea tells time with leaves? Then coffee tells time with beans. What if trucks tell time with tires? Then windows tell time with glass. What if tables tell time with chairs? Then couches tell time with cushions. What if tattle-tales tell time with gossip? Then babies tell time in coos. What if telescopes tell time with stars? Then compasses tell time with magnets. What if leftovers tell time with refrigerator frost? Then bread tells time with softness. What if hope tells time with love?

EXERCISE 119: SOMETIMES WE ANSWER WITH SILENCE

to make sense

Answer each of your twenty-one r and long i questions with answers (full sentences) comprised of many words with ‘d’, ‘l’, and long ‘e’ (e.g. deal, leeway, feed). Answer three of the questions with silence. The answers don’t have to make sense, though they can. Read each original question and its corresponding answer aloud, enjoying all the sounds.

How do we build a fire? Do we build a fire by rubbing sticks? We build a fire beyond lighter fluid and matches. Do we build a fire by throwing stones? We build a fire with forgiveness and grace. Do we build a fire by grabbing stars? We build a fire by stretching and reaching. Do we build a fire by beating drums? We build a fire tooting horns. Do we build a fire by singing hymns? We build a fire standing arm-in-arm. Do we build a fire by climbing trees? We build a fire by planting seeds. Do we build a fire by holding hands? We build a fire by unclenching fists. Do we build a fire by whispering sweetly? We build a fire by soul humming. Do we build a fire by standing firmly? We build a fire by dancing joyfully. Do we build a fire by blinking slowly? We build a fire with eyes wide open. Do we build a fire by lighting candles? We build a fire by wearing fine perfume. Do we build a fire by breathing deeply? We build a fire by dreaming big. Do we build a fire noticing intently? We build a fire with emotion and atmosphere. Do we build a fire by healthy eating? Silence. Do we build a fire by drinking water? Silence. Do we build a fire by telling the truth? Silence. Do we build a fire by hearts breaking? We build a fire with tears flowing. Do we build a fire by living joyfully? We build a fire with laughter. Do we build a fire by digging deeply? We build a fire by thinking broadly. Do we build a fire by wielding swords? We build a fire by laying down. Do we build a fire by creating peace? 

EXERCISE 120: NOW WRITE!

some heat

Choose a phrase, group of words, sentence, or other chunk of language that has some heat to it from the content you generated in this week’s 21 questions & answers exercise. Maybe you like the content of the phrase/sentence/line. Maybe you like the mouthfeel or the unusual syntax. Whatever the case, use it as a jumping off point to compose a new piece in any genre (poem, essay, play, free write, etc.)

What if tattle-tales tell time with gossip? Then babies tell time in coos. What if telescopes tell time with stars? Then compasses tell time with magnets. What if leftovers tell time with refrigerator frost? Then bread tells time with softness. What if hope tells time with love?

On tattle-tales and babies. On telescopes and compasses. On leftovers and bread.

On gossip and coos. On stars and magnets. On frost and softness. 

What if hope tells time with love.

Thank you for reading MONDAYS ARE FREE. These are my explorations of poetry and language and joy. Subscribe to he Wide-Awakeness Project to share this journey.