Tuesday 6 August 2013

Grow Write Guild Prompt #5: Listen

My garden is quite busy with sound, even in the morning.

A few of the crickets from the night will not give up their chirping, even for the morning sun.

A single robin rustles some leaves as it tries to pull food from the ground, and chirps softly as Harley chases after her.

The breeze gently ripples through the tree leaves.

The neighbour's dog faintly barks, she's ready for her walk.

A single squirrel squawks it's odd screech, almost like a hawk's noise but the note goes up at the end.

Cars are starting to be heard in the neighbourhood, people heading to work, going about on their way.

The wind stirs again, only louder this time.

Under it all though, is the constant hum of the falls, water tumbling over a cliff down to the Niagara river.

A second dog, Sydney, begins barking at the neighbour, wanting to say hello, before her owner pulls her back onto the porch.

Following suit, a second squirrel, this one much noisier, sits atop a telephone pole squawking and chattering and waving his tail.

The crickets seem to get louder as time passes.

A few birds tweet quietly in the distance, and the squirrel gets quieter.

As the hum of the cars starts to drown out the hum of nature, of the falls, and the birds, and that noisy little beast on the telephone pole, I realize it's time to head inside to listen to a new kind of noise: the crunching of my morning granola.

* * * * *

This writing has been in response the Grow Write Guild Prompt #5: Listen.

And just so you know, while I describe the squirrel noise as squawking (it totally is), and some might describe it as "annoying screaming/screeching", it is totally my second favourite thing to listen to out there (after the falls). To be perfectly honest, when I first moved into this neighbourhood, I kept hearing their noises and thought (honestly), that someone in the neighbourhood had a pet macaw inside that had separation anxiety or something. I finally realized it was what noise a squirrel makes when I went out and saw one squawking at me in a tree! Ridiculous.

Anywho, have a lovely day. :)

{Listen}