Idle Hearing

Amid the confusion of random sounds,

I rest my eyes and let the din recede.

Single sounds emerge.

A child cries: “look Mommy.”

A dog barks sharply.

Birds’ wings rustle.

A car door slams.

A cell phone rings.

An angry discussion approaches and fades..

A baby’s rattle falls, jingling.

A customer exclaims over tomatoes.

Someone comments on the weather.

I drift, as a

Police siren knocks me off my chair.