sounds & noises

Birds.

That's what I've been hearing lately.

Lots and lots of birds. Chirping madly, singing happily, fussing noisily.

This is how I know spring has finally arrived. It's officially here when the birds of Brooklyn go melody happy and start singing all day long.

Another thing I've been hearing a lot of are catcalls.

I don't mean the raunchy, rude kind that make your skin crawl.

I mean the kind that are friendlier in tone, a sort of 'Spring Has Sprung and I Think You're Beautiful!' kind of call.

Things I've been told/informed of this week:

"Ah, you're so gorgeous, you're beautiful sweetie!"

"Beautiful, just beautiful."

"I like your smile."

"How you doin'? You're beautiful, you know that?"

And so on.

I know some women get very upset when men make comments to them, but for me, as long as it's nice and not disgusting, I don't have a problem with it. In fact, being the vain little creature that I am, I kind of love being called beautiful.

Even the neighborhood crackhead informed me I was hot stuff the other weekend.

We actually had quite a funny exchange. I was standing with a friend on the steps to my stoop, when a large guy steps up to me and starts talking some game. (You know, the chat-'em-up sort of idiocy that so many men think is a great way to meet someone.) Anyway, he ends up telling me his name.

"My name is Freedom," he said to me, like I should never forget it.

Well, hell's bells I thought. Freedom. What a great name.

My response?

"Did your mother give you that name?"

He smiled at that one.

"Nah."

But he kept smiling. I think I got points for being so sharp with him.

He asked me my name and I told him my nickname.

His response?

"Did your mother give you that name?"

My reply?

"Nah."



There are always kids playing on the basketball court that is next door to me. The constant dribble sound of ball-against-pavement floats up to and through my window in a kind of endless drone. It's relaxing, in a way. The sound is a soft one, very dull, and far away.

I can't replicate it on a computer keyboard.

Maybe like this: thud thud thud.

Then again, maybe not.



Certain sounds really bother me. Construction work, for example. It always begins so early, and so ominously. It starts with a rumble, and then horrible crashing noises, like hundreds of pieces of sheet metal getting dropped on concrete. Grumbles and rumbles and horrible belly aching noises that just make me want to grit my teeth and pull a pillow over my head to block it all out.

Except nothing blocks it out.

Sometimes, when I'm just waking up from a dream, I think the construction noises are really the rumbling of some giant's sore belly. Okay, not really, but how fun would that be if that were truly the case?

Giants running wild in New York.