An Infrequent Sailor

Some days
the constant chatter and hum takes its toll
after a while, I don’t notice it anymore
or so it seems until it suddenly stops
and a moment of sweet silence washes over me
fresh and cool like a morning breeze off a quiet sea

White noise they call it
noise I don’t have to attend to
noise to mask other noises
to allow me to concentrate
to be more productive
but it is not without its cost
it is a hungry noise
a succubus of sorts
that feeds on my energy
drains my strength
steals my joy
leaving behind bits of detritus
that accumulate throughout the day
the year
until I have nothing left
but to go home at night
stuporous
and turn on the tv loud enough
to be heard over the hum of the freezer
and the whir of the fan

So once each spring
to refresh myself
to clear out the noxious aggregate
I exchange the blare of city
for the rustle of sail
the gurgle of water on the hull
and the silence
the incredible
beautiful
nurturing silence
that cradles the magic
and holds back the modern
long enough for me to remember
there is life outside the noise

Marv Himmel
January 20, 2016 ©