Zurich
19 Sept 2005




I was listening to two owls last night.
They sounded so close to my bedroom window.

The deep voiced one,
whoo whoo whoo,
a great horned owl.

The other,
who-who-who-whoo whoo,
higher pitched,
a barred owl.

I’ve heard them both here before, but not at once.

These two talked at the same time, overlapping each other, then taking turns, maybe six calls to the minute.

I listened. It's like when you're a kid, and you're in bed, and you hear your parents' conversation rising and fading. Their voices communicate their nearness to you, even though you can't understand a word.

The owls calmly talked for some time. Then the heater came on, and in its hum, I could no longer hear the owls. I fell asleep.

The moon is so full...