Shout it outloud.

“Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices” by Paul Fleischman is a creative and clever approach to poetry. Written in a two-column format and most powerfully read aloud, two voice poetry juxtaposes ideas, emotions, and perspectives. Sometimes, the two speakers alternate lines, but often, the words come together and are read as one, creating a harmonic resonance and indicating compromise or unity.

Additionally, “Joyful Noise” is a collection of poems about insects that celebrates the natural world in a way that is alive. For example, “Whirligig Beetles” is a poem in motion. The poem begins with just one reader, and then the second reader repeats the same words but is one line behind. The repetition of sounds and words might at first seem confusing, but as the words fall into place, it starts to make sense. The poem embodies a quick pace because the beetles are “spinning and swerving” as if on a “mad merry-go-round” (32). The words are carefully chosen to reflect the twirling, circular swimming of the beetles. As if that weren’t enough, Fleischman includes a speckling of illustrations of the little black beetles amidst the words. While the pictures are static, they’re drawn in such a way that shows a shadow of stirring, allowing the reader to feel the motion, as if to relive his/her own days on the merry-go-round.

My own summer memories are triggered as I read “Whirligig Beetles.” I feel the heat of a warm and humid summer night around dusk, just as the sun is about to set. I can hear buzzing. The search is on for the source, but it doesn’t take long. June bugs… whirling and twirling as they spin on their backs, buzzing in defiance as they attempt to right themselves. Moments later, inside, they tap on the window and buzz at the screen door, mesmerized by the light.

Fireflies. Beautiful and elusive, they dwell outside the city where it’s quiet and dark. Fleischman’s poem entitled “Fireflies” is my favorite in the collection. I love the use of metaphors, like “light is the ink we use” and “night is our parchment” (11). The physical and lyrical imagery add depth to the words on the page. I love the image of the fireflies as artists,

As a reader, it is often difficult to extract my personal self from my teacher self and thus, I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch upon the value of two-voice poetry to the teacher of communication arts. Two-voice poetry is a concept that students of all ages like to read and hear. A lesson in two-voice poetry combines writing with performance and results in creative freedom and ultimately a boost in self-esteem, as it is a huge accomplishment to share in the reading of a completed two-voice poem. Because it is read with a partner, it eliminates the fear of failure and sets students up for academic success in the classroom.

Perhaps I DO like some poetry? Poetry for two voices evokes emotions for me in a way that other poetry doesn’t. It’s one thing to read the words but quite another to feel their power. Reading “Joyful Noise” proves to me that the subject matter isn’t truly as important as the execution, style, and approach of the author. Fleischman writes about bugs. While I am an environmentalist and a nature lover at heart, insects don’t particularly interest me. However, that being said, I read “Joyful Noise” cover to cover and was fascinated by every nuance.