building photography

Night Sounds

Night sounds softly
Some of the time
White noise rushing
Following the dotted
White lines. 
Slush of tires
Hum of telephone wires
The buzz of dilemma
The beat of the weather
As it falls onto the 
Fire escape walls
And tumbles down 
Metal stairs and 
Echoes round the
Halls

Way to go, calm 
The flow, hide the
Satisfaction of the
Trucks that tow
Away the offenders
Who park outside
Fender to fender
Shouting and haggling
Begging and pleading
Trying to fit a size 9
Foot into a size 5
Sneaker. 

Night soft sounds
Get sharp broken
Punctuated
Holes dug
Ventilated
Fear? Antiquated.
The sirens fill 
The spaces that
The howlers leave 
Unfulfilled
The man with no
Clothes on tumbles
Down the road
Chewing pills. 

A gun shot.
Who's got?
Who's lost?
A single scream
I don't look out
At the cost. 
The sound of fists
Against a backdrop
Of fog and mist
San Francisco
Outside 
Infiltrates hearing
Inside

Footsteps
Loud voices
Woman crying
Man barking
Dog growls
Bites hound
Anyone with 
Any sense
Takes themselves 
To ground. 

Waves lap
Lights hum
Russian Hill 
Sleeps peacefully
Round here
We have none. 
Waves lap
Rails buzz
Up the hill
Down the track
Light comes
Up again
The dawn is silent
Apart from
The sounds 
Of men.




2 Comments

  1. slpmartin

    As usual, I enjoyed your reading…and must admit from time to time I hear a bit of the wit Dylan Thomas in your voice…obviously not in terms of resonate frequency but the skill of the lines.

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