Living Beast

Generating its own light
Night has a transformed place
In this unnatural landscape

One may fall asleep
Eyes closed in anticipation
Of redefined rest
The mind conditioned
To succumb to the deep hum

That constant breathing
Broken by the siren
Or freight train’s wail
Pictures on the wall
Rattle like heart valves

Dogs in kennels
Sing a dirge
For their wolf beginnings
And as the night shift ends
The horn blasts the last call
“Go home, or, wake up.”
It’s time for school.

Growing up in a suburb of LA in the 60’s was filled with sounds, dirty air, and experiences that have never left my memory. Like the night shift blast from 2 miles away that would wake us all up. Or the freight trains that would pass through at 3 a.m., shaking up the house. We were just 20 years out of the big war, NASA kept many people employed. Small businesses were everywhere. You lived in one part of your house and had a business in another part. There were a couple of kennels down the alley that roused a lot of barking and howling. Of course, the hum of the freeways were always on as well. Growing up, we just thought it was all normal.
Now, we’re considering moving to a rural area…where it’s quiet. I don’t know. I’ve never known anything else other than the city.
“City Scapes” – Multiple exposures on one frame – Lensbaby. Prints available here:
https://bluemarblephotography.smugmug.com/Lensbaby/All-Work-With-Lensbaby/i-KwkdDPT/A