Soundscape

Of course I always notice the birds.

I’m waiting for the robins to begin my morning–the cardinal, the flicker, the mockingbird.  Then I will be certain spring has arrived.  But the crows are back, as opinionated as always, and the crowds of blue jays and sparrows never left.  A mourning dove croons from a nearby roof outside my kitchen window as the sun rises.

I habitually tune out the sirens, garbage trucks, helicopters, low-flying planes, motorcycles, cars and buses, construction—all the normal background noise of city living.

But the air itself has gotten louder lately.  Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night I can barely hear myself think over its whisper-hum.  My head is completely emptied of dreams; I am conscious only of my body in bed, surrounded by a constant movement murmuring in my ears.

Daylight does not mute the stormy sounds that show up suddenly and randomly, demanding attention, interrupting thought.  The nonstop intersection of voices, layered in a language I don’t understand, drowns out all other discourse.

It reminds me of the ocean–unbroken, all-encompassing, alive.  A presence much larger than my own.  To be inside of it is perhaps all the translation, the guidance, that is necessary.

on the street dogs bark–
the sky darkens—lights turn on–
I breathe in, then out

I’m a little late with Sherry’s prompt from last week at earthweal of Soundscapes–I’m squeezing it in at the last minute for the weekend open link. I’ve also used some of this week’s random word generator oracle words, which you can find here.

All art is from the archives.

19 thoughts on “Soundscape”

  1. I so enjoyed this, kerfe. Thanks for linking it…….I love all the birdsong. I tune in to that so much more than the rest of the racket. Today I was at the beach – waves were HUGE and wild – and heard more than one eagle calling back and forth…..glorious.

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  2. I loved this! The are is as always so very good – it really does draw the eye! As for the birds I love the crows – opinionated of course but also smart and savvy. You hardly ever see a crow dead of starvation or stupidity. We;ve had to pick up far too many robins who have bashed their brains out attacking their reflection in the car side mirror or the picture window….

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    1. Thanks Muri.
      I like the crows too. They disappeared for most of the winter, but reappeared in late January. Right after the hawks left–at least if they’re around I haven’t seen them lately.

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  3. We are beginning to get the early morning birds–maybe not the predawn choir, but close. The crow were definitely making their opinions known. We have lots of red-winged blackbirds around, too. They chatter more than sing, but there are also many robins, cardinals, woodpeckers, sparrows, etc.

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  4. This really is the earth waking up again after the winter torpor. The ocean never sleeps, but spring sets the tides rolling wilder. The birds feel all that movement and maybe that’s what stirs them to sing, and us to lie awake at night, listening.

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  8. Yesterday it snowed a little more but I heard the birds in the midst of it all, quite unfazed. I even heard sandhill cranes calling, high up in the clouds. The first thing I love about winter is the silence, and then the first thing I love about spring is its total absence. Soon there will be construction crews in my neighborhood so I’m cherishing the organic soundscape. It’s wonderful to wake up to.

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