last night
lying on my mattress
I heard voices
below my window
educated voices
forceful and restrained both

I couldn’t understand a word
and wondered about the state of my hearing
that I could no longer distinguish words
until I realized-oh
they’re speaking Japanese
arguing
his voice mellow, emphatic
hers like song
she spoke in single syllables
in counterpart to his stream of notes
neh
she said
neh

and the footsteps in gravel,
and then on the steps
and a gust of wind
rattling the tree
these sounds against a backdrop of silence
I was hearing a song
a symphony I would have missed
had I been distracted by words.