sudden evocations of place that came traveling by sound

first add to this picture the inspiration of songbirds in the deepening light, then the sound of the freeway, unseen somewhere to the west, in my left ear. where i grew up in Michigan the sound of freeways came as if from every direction-- walking from my front door i saw grass and trees but heard always the faint roar of I-275, I-96, M-5, I-696. full of such violence up close, their hushed sounding in the distance through forest and over field was a continuous and comforting presence, like the sound of water rushing, rivers. here on Ross Island i let my eyes rest on these grand infrastructure-creating tools floating lightly above the secret void of the lagoon and listened, remembering, to the hidden hushed freeway sound coming from the west into my left ear, through trees, over water. shortly thereafter, sitting at the table, Michael's civil defense siren recordings added the sound of a tornado siren 200 yards from my house that went off every Saturday at 1pm.


sudden evocations of place that came quietly and privately, traveling by sound, in the midst of the larger gathering.