Project 2: Audio

What I Hear

Footsteps knock down the stoop. A squeaking gate opens, closes. Above, leaves rustle around the chirping birds on their branches. Below, they crunch on the pavement beneath the feet of morning commuters, runners, and the mail-woman wheeling her cart. The pavement is wet from the overnight rain, so the sounds are damp and saturated. The light on the corner turns green and the brief quiet abruptly ends. The idling bus engine, before barely noticeable, roars into action, only getting louder as the B38 approaches and then dissipating quickly behind me. The light turns red and brakes screech as cars, trucks, and buses roll to a stop. A car alarm kicks off in the distance, echoing through the streets. Through an open door, the sound of steaming milk and the smell of coffee drift out onto the street and mix with the sounds of the street. I go into my favorite cafe and grab a cup of coffee because the smell is too good to resist. Outside, deep construction sounds bang against buildings and pavement. A man walks brightly by, singing a happy tune to himself with no earbuds in. A few seconds later, a biker rides by in the opposite direction with a stereo on her back, but I can’t make out the tune. I start walking again, past a supermarket. The doors slide open for me even though I’m not going inside, and registers “beep boop bop” away for three seconds before the doors shut again. I descend down the subway steps and all the sounds fade away.