May I speak?

Miriam Fraser

consonants are all we have now 
only p-p-p plosives 
and f-f- fricatives
because panic tightens the throat 
and fear brings us to a glottal stop

our throats are ch-ch-choked    
with grief    shhh   shhh
and rage     ng-ng
emotions 
too powerful to enunciate 
are a stranglehold

but lips and tongues need vowels 
a healthy flow of open sounds 
only then can we give release 
to honest words 
like truce
and hope 

and peace

The Science

Speech is an acoustic signal. When the larynx is constricted it vibrates to produce 20 discrete speech sounds (phonemes), known as vowels. These can be modified by the tongue, pharynx, teeth, and lips to produce a further 24 sounds, known as consonants. These 44 phonemes are used in combination to encode our thoughts, feelings, and intentions into strings of spoken words. Our vocalisations sit comfortably in the middle of our audible spectrum of 20 Hz to 20 kHz, making it easy for most other humans to hear and decode these messages. My interest in language prompted me to study linguistics before I became a teacher. This later led to training as a teacher of the deaf. I also lead courses for parents on how to better support their children’s learning and reading via phonics.

The Poet

Miriam Fraser trained as a teacher and then moved into museum education which involved leading time travelling experiences whilst dressed in costume. Through this she developed a love and respect for living history re-enactment, and this became the subject of her master’s dissertation. She has always enjoyed writing, but it is only post-COVID that she has started submitting work. So far, she has had two short stories and one poem published. She is also working on an illustrated book of poetry for children. She lives in the middle of England.

Next poem: Phenomenal by John Aberdein