Audial Remainderings

Subtitle: Sex, Drugs and Rock-and-Roll

Not all “remainderings” are visual. Some are audial. I’ve been taking lots of notes, and later I’m going to devote an entire post to the many and varied sounds I hear as I walk along the Riverwalk. Today, though, I’m focusing on only one kind of sound I encounter on the Riverwalk: human conversation. And y’all who know me know that I do love me some human conversation!

Now, I’m not talkin’ here about my conversin’ WITH folks. No, that’s not something I engage in to any great extent while I’m on the Riverwalk. What I’m talkin’ about here is – well – let’s just say it – eavesdropping. I mean, when you’re walkin’ past folks, or they’re walkin’ past you, or ridin’ past you, or runnin’ past you, you can’t really help but hear ‘em, ya know? So I’ve been collecting some specimens that I’ll share with you here.

SNAGGED POETRY

First, though, let me tell you that one thing I think is interesting about these “audial remainderings” on the Riverwalk is that folks who are walking or running or cycling tend to have a certain pronounced and regular rhythm to their talk, paced by their labored breathing, so that what would normally be prose conversation (with its own “freestyle” rhythm) comes to sound much more like poetry with very regular rhythm. Here are a couple of examples. I’ve added the “breaths” so you can “hear” what I’m talking about:


“I got up this morning [breath, breath]
At 5:45 [breath, breath]
Then I went back to bed [breath, breath]
And I thought [breath]”

****

“One day [breath]
We were low on water? [breath]
And I turned on the hose [breath]
And …”

****

Woman 1: “Is she married yet?”
Woman 2: “No, but she’s almost engaged.”

*****
Both women are walking along and looking down at their hands, which they’re holding out in front of their bodies, palms down.
Woman 1: “Every time I look at my knuckles I see Daddy’s hands.”
Woman 2: “Um-hum. Daddy’s hands and Aunt Alice’s hands and Yuri’s hands …”

****

“Camp, concerts – She’s havin’ a ball!”

****

“He transports things. Beyond that I can’t tell you anything. It’s best if you don’t know any more.”

****

“Her skin had no coloration in it. She was powdery smooth.”

****
This was a conversation among three very nattily dressed adolescent males (My guess is “Brookstone.”) who were involved in a photo shoot. They were the models.

Boy 1: “ ... got back from France last night.”
Boy 2 (disgusted tone): “I’ve been to France for TWO DAYS.”
Boy 3: “My parents …”

****

“The good thing about it is you can take up to 200 milligrams.”

****

And last but not least:

“You know he’s been sleepin’ with three of yo co-workers.”