Read My Body -- Writer's Poke #96

For Writers:

KISS recorded a song called "Read My Body," and you can find it on their 1989 album Hot in the Shade. In what are arguably the most inspired song lyrics of all time, the chorus goes:

Read my body
Are the letters big enough?
Read my body
Do you like the book of my love?
Read my body
Turn the page, get to the good stuff

Okay, so while the Beatles have somehow managed to find inclusion in poetry anthologies, you will probably never find KISS in a Norton any time soon; but it's a fun song, and I think it asks playful questions.

Reading someone's body doesn't have to be a sexual act as suggested above. Body language, otherwise known as nonverbal communication, actually accounts for 55% of the message we convey to others, whereas the actual words we use to communicate, if you can believe it, only convey 7%. The remaining 38% of message conveyed, by the way, occurs through voice tone and quality.

So don't ignore the body. Read it. Start listening more with your eyes.

What does your messages does your body communicate to others?

"I'm not into working out. My philosophy: no pain, no pain." -- George Mead

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