White Noise
In bed, restless, unable to sleep, my feet tangle in slightly cool sheets as my head, seeking solace, rocks in a ditch of feathers. Incessant sounds outside the window are loud and close. The perpetual grumble of tires on pavement is interrupted by the growl of an eight-cylinder monster hurtling down the street, tires screeching. A siren pierces the night and slowly diminishes. Multilingual oaths spew from the mouths of young felons. Their beer bottles clink and then shatter on the sidewalk. Smoke from a joint curls up and whispers between the squares of my window screen, insinuating itself into my room. Muffled crashes sound above the bed, the drunken thuds of the man overhead. His bruising sounds echo through the floor boards, until, one final thump, and he’s down for the count. In bed, desperate for sleep my feet tangle in now-warm sheets as my head, seeking solace, rests under a ditch of feathers. Incessant sounds outside the window fade and silence saturates the room as I drift on the waves of tranquility.