For today’s word-compost (free-writing), let’s get sensual–with a twist.
Today’s direction: Write the details of your immediate surroundings without using any visual references.
Remember, the purpose of word-composting is to shove aside the editor and let the creative part of the brain have free play. Here’s a review of the guidelines:
1. Keep pencil/pen/fingers-on-the-keyboard moving
2. Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, sentence structure
3. If you get stuck, repeat the last word or phrase as many times as you have to until more words come.
Ten minutes to delve into four oft-neglected senses. Go!
Here’s what I managed, seated in my favorite local cafe:
The low lazy voice of the indie artist over the stereo. The hum of the refrigerator cases, the growl of the industrial coffee brewer, brewing industrial amounts of house blend. The undifferentiated rumble of conversation breaking for a differentiated snippet: house… Elvis… apparently… yeah… Americano…
The clink of spoon against ceramic, glass stacked into glass. Warmth, stirred by ceiling fans, swath of cool when the side door yawns. Clack of boot heels across the worn wooden floor. Papers fold and unfold crisp news articles. The shriek of the milk steamer settles into a mutter. It has to work so hard at the beginning to find its stride.
The smell of coffee is lost in long acclimation. I know it’s there, but I can’t smell it. The wash of baked muffins, panninis, breads, lays down a base coat of fragrance.
Earl Grey steeping, its bergamot signature scrawled around my face for the first scalding sip. Soy milk lending it substance. Soft mutter of dozens of fingers putting keyboards through their paces. Everyone has a deadline.
Okay, go ahead and reread what you’ve written, observing without judgment (I know I sound like a yoga teacher here).
At this location, in this particular moment, I notice that I’m connecting most with sound. If I’d tried this exercise a few months ago (at the beginning of my pregnancy, incidentally), it would have been smell. Most of my first trimester, I was assaulted by smells, a common symptom that often is the cause of nausea in early pregnancy. Today, I’m tuned into sound.
What sense are you plugged into today?