STIRRING
Founded in 1999, Stirring is one of the oldest continuously publishing journals on the internet.
Stirring is an electronic quarterly journal.
Founded in 1999, Stirring is one of the oldest continuously publishing journals on the internet.
Stirring is an electronic quarterly journal.
ELLIS ELLIOTT
In science fiction movies about aliens,
the experts look for patterns
in the zigzag of high and low sound
frequencies on computer screens.
Julian cannot talk,
but his father says his noises are like this. Loud
staccato bursts at first,
then
slow sustained notes, as he turns his head
to his inner tempo.
In movies, sounds from aliens call to us
through static clicks and trills meant to be mysterious
codes destined for translation. A murmur,
like the half-heard conversation at the table next to yours,
or the unknown messages sent through roots between trees.
There is always the desire to glean
meaning or find something more.
From pulsed whale calls,
dolphin chatter,
and birdsong we cobble understanding.
What we perceive as stay away
or come near comes down to
I am here.
Ellis Elliott has been published in Belle Ombre, The Broken Plate, Brushfire Literature & Arts Journal, Copperfield Review Quarterly, Courtship of Winds, Literary Mama, The MacGuffin, Meadow, OPEN: Journal of Arts and Letters, Riggwelter, Neologism Poetry Journal, Perceptions Magazine, Plainsongs, Signal Mountain Review, Sheila-Na-Gig, Sierra Nevada Review, Streetlight Magazine, and Wrath-Bearing Tree. Ellis participated in the Palm Beach Poetry Festival 2015 Workshop with poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from Rhodes College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University. Ellis taught ballet for over 30 years, and currently teaches ballet, yoga, and leads online and in-person writing groups. Ellis and her husband have a blended family of six grown sons and she enjoys mixed-media art, swimming, and miniatures.
