Silence

 I don’t think I’ve ever been aware of total silence. How could I be? There’s none in our pre-natal state what with Mom’s heartbeat and other organs working overtime. We enter the world crying. 

The closest I’ve come lately and it wasn’t silent but it was very pleasant was 12 years ago when my father in law passed away. We were in Western North Dakota for his funeral and the day after my son and I drove a few miles out of town and stopped by a river. All I could hear was birds, water and the wind in the grass.  We spent a week on a big lake in Maine a few years ago that was pretty close to that experience too except for the occasional boat going by.Now due to the oil boom there are huge trucks everywhere there 24/7 there not to mention all the other activity that accompanies an economic boom.

I live in the city, my house isn’t far from the main road so I hear traffic and sirens.  The traffic’s not so bad but the sirens I’m pretty sick of them.  My dog either loves them or hates them, I can’t tell which but he howls when he hears one.  

The TV is almost always on.  I run a fan in the bed room to block out all the other noise. Besides that my ears ring, sometimes quite loudly. Complete and total silence might be like being dead. I can wait.