Soda Bubbles & Grandfather Clocks

Soft bubbles popping in the soda pop to the left.

The loud, boisterous laughter of Brother in the other room.

The toll of 15 minutes past eight.

The soft tapping of computer keys.

The loud yet old breathing of the dog at the foot of the bed.

The on and off pressure of air conditioning.

Fuzzy thoughts swimming behind the mind,

as air hummed in the ears to quiet the silence.

The fainter still ticking of a grandfather clock.

The heavy absence of crickets or wind or rain,

which is normally muffled by a window pane.

The rhythmic breathing continues

with the occasional computer mouse click.

More soda pop bubbles shaking in the metal can

and the lone buzz of a phone going off,

is all that remains in the last 10 minutes.

After enough silence, a gentle hum of piano emits from the left.

Nearly, but not quite, drowning the soda bubbles popping.

The computer mouse clicking from the other room,

covering the faint, faint ticking clock.

The breaths of the dog continue to fade in and out,

of one’s continuous thought.

Sheets from the bed shift as the dog stretches,

releasing a sigh of breath before molding back into rhythm.

More soft piano playing like notes drifting in a river.

Yet the buzzing of air in one’s ear no longer causes such noise,

now that the dog’s breathing has grown into snores

and the typing of keys has grown rapid enough

to drown out popping soda bubbles and ticking grandfather clocks.