Noise

1.
a lack of it
i'm alone
no-one is coming

2.
Elle has opened the window
machinery grinds
young men shout
young women shriek
at eleven pm
wrapped in a shawl of sound
and cold air freshens

3.
rain splashes
far below
minimally audible

it's really raining!
i walk to the station
shoes not waterproof

my Drizabone
walks stiffly
with me inside

covered walkways
carpeted in running water
the stain of winter spreads

4.
inside moving train
steam clouds vision
outside the train
cloud is the vision

5.
a train ride from Wellington
is a noisy sociable event
conductors carry a current
of conversation between
passengers and driver
whose door is open

in Upper Hutt I buy
two pairs of shoes
and three pairs of socks
for forty Australian dollars
now i can walk
in the wet grass!

6.
returned to the hotel
close the window
welcome the silence