i listen to
symphonies
     i hear but
fragments

i follow opera
without the
plot
     or players

snatches of
jazz solos
still surprise
     [and delight]

after decades
of repetition
i listen in
the car
and hum
     [the
     details
     highway
     sounds
     obscure]

familiarity
is contentment
content
a bonus

awareness is rare

the music washes out
my life

sitting around
in silence
in my shorts and t shirt
listening to
the birds and
air conditioners

no tasks or
plans all done
for the day
contented and
unhappy

glancing around
at notes
and pictures that
tell the story
almost over

the air is
moving the
critters hopping
on and off the roof

books and
calendars
and clocks and
unfinished
business that will
not get done

another
list shot
to hell

[sitting around in
silence

listening]