Poem: Whispers of a Waterfall

By Allison Stein

After agreeing to give my first presentation about my poetry chapbook, Summer Sensations, at the Port Austin History Center in August 2013, I was both ecstatic and anxious. By mid-July, I was somewhat prepared. I had written a speech that illustrated my story of becoming published as well as incorporated readings of my poetry, and thanks to my mom’s patience in listening to me practice, my speaking had gotten better. Furthermore, I was definitely excited to share my writing process; after all, my book had made a profound impact on me by encouraging me to pursue my dreams and urging me to improve.

However, I knew my speech was in need of revision. One weakness that especially stood out to me was how I read my poems. What perplexed me most about this problem was that I couldn’t understand why I shared my work in such a rudimentary way when I tried to read it so passionately. Luckily, before the day of my presentation arrived, a friend and mentor of mine offered to help. She lent me voice recordings of renowned poets reading their words and coached me as I practiced; because of her guidance, my presentation became exponentially better.

My words still struggled to flow from my mouth, but I was determined to teach them to. I printed off the poems I planned to read at my presentations and scribbled notes to myself about where to pause and which words to emphasize. Despite these efforts, I eventually abandoned the idea that learning to read differently was the solution. Inversely, I began to focus on reading naturally. I thought about my mentor; the examples of insightful readings she’d introduced me to were so beautiful because the poets had encapsulated their unique voices as writers. Instead of striving to force words to reverberate from my mouth, I decided, I would let them materialize from my heart. Not only would I read passionately, I told myself, but I would also read genuinely.

And that’s what I did. On August 9, I read several of my poems—including Whispers of a Waterfall, featured below—with the aim to speak sincerely. When the words of Whispers of a Waterfall poured from my soul, I was well-aware of my mentor in the audience; I remembered our practice session that included the poem, realized how far I had come, and felt inexpressibly connected to this poem that had been so instrumental in helping me discover my voice. Yes, I knew my presentation was flawed, but I knew, too, that my efforts had been worthwhile and that I had reached out authentically. And I crossed my fingers that maybe, just maybe, I had inspired someone else to do the same.

Whispers of a Waterfall

The whispers of a waterfall,
The tiny ripples that flow,
Whispering in secrecy
Words no one else will know.

Cascading from the banks
Of the nearby creek,
All of the different whispers
Seem surprisingly unique.

The whispers are beautiful
And send a chill up your spine;
Trickling over the stones,
The waterfall seems divine!

So when you hear the whispers
Forming oval-shaped rings,
Lean in and listen closely;
You might just hear them sing!