NOISE

My ears are sensitive to noise. Noise bothers me -- unless it's the noise of a party and I'm invited.

Two neighborhood dogs bark incessantly. It's annoying. The engineers sounding the whistle on the trains that come through town at midnight, 2 am and 4 am cause me to sit up wide awake in bed. The thud of the boy next door bouncing his basketball from school's dismissal to bedtime makes me climb the wall. The wail of the fire trucks and ambulances sets my teeth on edge. But all that noise pales in the face of my new aggravation - a friendly, talented mocking bird.

This feathered menace is proud of the safe, twiggy home he established for his family high in a large nearby tree. His nest sways on a spindly limb that no predator can reach. I admit he's smart, has a beautiful voice and displays great imitative skill. During the daylight hours, I love to hear the many bird calls he copies flawlessly. I smile when he says, "Meow, meow."

After a long day of assuring his family that he is alert and on guard, he must rest his vocal cords and replenish his calories. Beginning at dusk, he is blissfully silent. But around 11:00 pm, just as my head hits the pillow and I seek sleep, he warbles again with renewed vigor. My tolerance for noise plummets.

The spot he chooses for his nighttime vocalization is a large shrub near my bedroom window. Banging on the wall doesn't faze him. Running out to the patio shouting, "Hush now! Do shut up!" only encourages him. Sometimes I take a broom and beat the branches of the shrub. Thankfully he relocates. Just as I'm back in bed, he returns to his favorite perch and tries out new melodies. That bird plucks my last nerve. What's a poor insomniac to do??  Suddenly I wonder if fried mocking bird tastes like chicken.

This morning I see that his babies have left the nest and are aligned in a row along the top of the fence. My heart melts and all is forgiven.
                                                                                                  *~*~*
Message to my grandchildren:

Keep the fire in the belly -- stay hungry. Stay humble. Kick butt.