The Ambient Noises of Apartment Living

I was inspired to write this one night as I waited most impatiently for some silence.

I lay my head down on my
Pillow and drape the
Blanket over me, kicking out
A leg.  With a sigh, I settle
In and close my eyes,
Hoping sleep arrives before
The anxiety.

The first sound that pierces
The silence is the desperate
Moan of the fire door
Opening.

Next is the laughter.
Coming from outside
In the alley,or in the hallway
Right outside my door.

The laughter dies down and
I settle, again reaching out
And hoping to draw sleep
To me.  I get comfortable,
Drowsy. Then the thump.

Someone or something
Banging against the wall. 
Unidentifiable and muffled,
The sounds still yet startling
In their anonymity.

Then comes the chorus
Of thumps from upstairs.
Light ones, heavy ones,
Firing up the imagination.

Eventually there is a period
Of quiet.  A small stretch of
Time without being bombarded
By the world around me.

Reviews

[Red68]

This is excellent Cat, I particularly like the subtlety of the Title. What you give us is a vision of modern American Life exactly as it is being lived at this time - while the Rich inhabit their large Mansions, the ordinary people must muddle thru with what they have.

[CatT]

You are so kind, and you got exactly what I was going for with this poem. I worked on it for 3 days, knowing I had something I wanted to say but struggling to get it out. The ordinary people {me!} sure would like to have a week of the peace and quiet of living in mansion.

Thanks so much for your review, and for getting it!