What is the sound of your own voice?
I am not sure that people hear much of my voice. I am a quiet person; I sit at the edges of conversations and listen. Sometimes I have something to say, but not very often. I’m much more vocal online than I am in real life. Or – is that true? I’m a lurker, not a commenter; I read a lot and only occasionally respond. Sometimes that’s because I don’t want to get drawn into drama. Sometimes it’s because someone else has already said everything that I would have done.
When I do, how does it sound? Diffident, kind, amused, sometimes veering to cynical, wanting to believe the best of everything, not necessarily sure that it’s safe. Prone to long words, ellipsis, and sentences that run on and on, far away from the original point. Much like my real voice, really.
If we are going to take this literally, I have recorded my poem Manifest. I am always nervous about hearing my recorded voice, but I find, when I muster the courage to listen, I am not the awful person I thought I was.
Kathleen Jowitt 