What I Hear

In order to investigate "What I Hear", I decided to sit on my fire escape for a half hour.  I live on the 4th floor of a crappy building in East Harlem.  Interestingly (and perhaps regrettably), the sound that is recurring, consistent and fluid throughout my listening session is that of sirens.  The sirens don't seem to stop.  Whether it is the tri-tones that are belched from ambulances or the higher screeches that come from squad cars, the artificial, man made sounds of cars (specifically emergency cars) stand out and overcome competing noises.  In these moments, I recall my physics class and the notion of the Doppler Effect.  In other words, I can hear the pitch of the vehicles passing by on Lexington Avenue approaching at high, soprano like tones; then as they pass me and become more distant, I hear the tones and pitch flatten out- like a tenor or baritone- then dissipate as the pitch lowers and leaves my hearing range.  At only a few moments throughout this session, the sounds of traffic in the city quiet enough so that I can hear the subtle, yet consistent, hum from the refrigerator in my apartment.  The hum is fake!  I acknowledge that this hum is fake because it is contrasted by the slightly more pronounced hum from the light winds (nature's noises).  It is approaching dusk and the wind (only every now and then) jostles the trees outside of my apartment; I can hear the chaotic- but quiet- rearrangement of the few dead leaves that are still clinging on to the fragile, dead twigs that remain on the tall trees in the courtyard that is surrounded by concrete and asphalt.  Then, disturbing and cutting through these other sounds, I hear "psssssss....  PSHHHHHHHHH...." the offensive sound generated by my decades-old radiator!  It is as if a tea kettle is boiling but cannot whistle to signify it has completed its mission.  The sound of steam forcing its way through old rusty pipes permeates my otherwise kinda serene atmosphere!  Then, Honk!  Honkkk!...  HOOOOONNNNNNNNNKKKKKKK!!!!!
I am reminded that cars become, much like the sound of waves hitting the shore on the ocean, inevitable, consistent and never ceasing...