Brooklyn, NY - 6/25/12

We had a storm this morning, early, not a monsoon but in that general direction: lighting, thunder, wind, rain. And now it's past and the sounds are shifting down from that wildness. The hush surprises my ear. There's one remark from an arguing seagull.

Other sounds slowly begin to make themselves heard. It's like the pause between movements in a symphony. Now the songbirds are tuning up. The slow movement is starting. There's a shushing sound, car going by on wet road. It's going to be an urban pastorale. Hah! And now a crow!

And here is the wonder of it, to me: this entire landscape of sound could be happening in Port Klang, Malaysia. If I close my eyes I can see the domes of mosques, a restaurant overlooking fishing boats and serving chili crabs... I never expected this in Brooklyn. The world is vast and almost unbridgeable, sometimes, and then there are moments when the far is achingly near. Good morning, friends.