ASPHALT LULLABY // A SHORT ABSTRACT POEM
An abstract audio poem about city life and the regular rush of cars that pass my window.
This was written and recorded for the In The Dark - Short Feature Course
Written, Recorded, Voiced and Sound Designed (mostly) by James Trice
The Piano is from:
Aphex Twin – aisatsana (Piano Cover by Josh Cohen)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6inYVeOmLNk
Asphalt Lullaby
The wail of sirens, cry out In the distance.
A consistent gust, the breath of speeding giants, their roars and trumpets melding into a symphony of regularity.
The air, thick with the whooshing of their passage, a cocktail of low bass rumble and high-pitched exhales.
Sharp, elongated, punctuated by sighs, a melody of pollution, the flavour of grime and lubricant.
The atmosphere, parched, a square box of swirling zephyrs.
Comforting in its regularity, a counterpoint to the silence.
There it is,
That taste of dirt and oil,
That muscle memory of childhood,
That regular rush of metal and rubber,
City boy,
City boy,
City boy.
That memory of empty Yorkshire darkness
No rush of cars,
No tweeting birds,
No ambient chatter,
Just late-night TV and unending silence,
I need the sound,
Shall we run,
Such a city boy.
I'm thrilled to announce that my short documentary, “Echoes of Cockney”, is featured in an episode of BBC Radio 4's acclaimed radio show, Short Cuts. In this episode, host Josie Long presents a collection of short documentaries under the theme:
My documentary is a heartfelt interview with my father, delving into the gradual loss of the Cockney dialect and rhyming slang, exploring the profound changes in East London over the years and what it means to be a cockney. The piece also includes poetry written by me, juxtaposed against the interview, giving more context and expressing my own feelings on Cockney culture.