The sounds around me echo in my ears,
Night closes in but they do not abate.
Darkness only makes them seem more sinister.
The peace I sought-after does not exist here,
My heartfelt hopes are dashed with each new sound.
A cry in the distance makes my hands twitch.
Blasting car horns and sirens are far away,
Back in the large city where I once lived.
When there I thought them to be very loud.
Now I find that I long for the city,
The place where every noise was so well known.
Country life is far from being quiet.
The wind off the open fields moans wildly,
Creaks and rattles surround the small house.
Voices of animals are heard night and day.
My sense of distance has gone astray here,
I can not tell if things are near or far.
A country mile has no measure in city blocks.
The neighbor down the way had a good laugh,
Each noise is a well loved comfort to him.
He assures me with his city accent.
One day the silence will come to this place,
The sought-after peace will quickly follow.
I just smile wryly and hope that it is so.
Author notes
Option 3 used.
Written September 15th, 2004
What did you think
Comments
1 - 23 of 23
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Very very original. I know that I cannot stand country life, large cities are the place for me. The quiet in this piece seemed very unwanted, I could feel the strain of the ears to hear those familiar city sounds. Bravo!
~LiSa~ -
Thank you MuseStalker. That is the greatest compliment to my writing that I've ever received.
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Excellent
Like the feel of the clothes we don each day, our awareness of sounds diminishes with their constancy. I found this poem to be both refreshing in its subject matter, and pleasing by virtue of its uncovering of a profundity that I'd missed...not because I didn't know it, but because I hadn't brought my awareness to it. Poetry reminds me of Zen in that way...the way it has of focusing our awareness on something that was hiding subtly just beneath our notice. I love that. You do it well.
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Sorry you are having a difficult time Lionheart but I'm sure the little noises will all go away soon and let you concentrate. For the past few years I have been an apartment dweller for the first time in my life and have had a hard time tuning out much of the noise around here. It is getting better though.
Glad you enjoyed the poem
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I recently moved to the same type of wilderness I grew up in and I cam relate well to this poem. I miss the city and all the people and city noises and I was in a rural subdivision
It is so quiet where I am now that I can hear every little animal scurrying about and it distracts me. There is some truth to the phrase "the silence is deafening". There is no constant "white noise of the city" to diquise the noises. Great write--I enyoyed reading it -
this is a beautiful poem...ur an amazing poet as always...
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Sorry work is calling me away
So I'll have to stop for a while. Thank you all for your comments. You can be sure I'll get back to this. I find that those that enjoy what I write tend to write what I like to read and I've been missing out on reading a LOT lately!
Take care all
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Sorry to hear you don't like it PerfectStranger. I lived way out in the country for a few years when I was young and loved it but I know my older cousins hated it. I was to young to do the work and had all that land, forest and the lakes to play in while they milked the cows and did other chores. Maybe if we would have stayed in the area I would have decided it wasn't so much fun after all lol
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Thank you Olivia. I love what cities have to offer but I've never actually lived in a big city, just on the outskirts of them. Perhaps that is the best of both worlds
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I think that is my favorite line as well penumbrapoet. Of course, most farm areas are fenced but there are still places where you can stand and see nothing that is man made. Those places can seem so vast even if they are really quite small.
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Glad you enjoyed it NotToBe. Honestly, I don't think it matters where you are physically, the INNER quiet can only be found in one place after all I do prefer the country or at least more of a rural setting than a city one. Sirens going off outside my window at night tend to un-nerve me a bit lol
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Thank you Troi. Sorry I haven't done any comments. I haven't really gotten to do much here at all recently, even read the poems from people on my favorite list
I have a tendency to personify most things. Have you ever just sat quietly and listened to dogs bark? If several are doing it many times one will bark, then pause, then another will bark lol I always think they are passing the news of the neighborhood around
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I really enjoyed this entire poem. I lived in the country until I was about 13 then I moved to the city with my dad. I must say I like the country better. In the city you can hear something at your window and it might be someone breaking in, but in the country something at your window is the wind, an animal, or a branch and it's less scary.
I really loved "The wind off the open fields moans wildly, Creaks and rattles surround the small house. Voices of animals are heard night and day." I love the way you explained the sound of the wind off the open fields, and also I love how you said that voices of animals are heard. I love poems when people use personification (I probably didn't spell that right
). Amazing job on your poem. It was very beautiful.
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LOL
LOL@Darquesong
I found this poem quite funny. Yeah, "a country mile has no measure in city blocks"
I know the vastness, and (sometimes) the silence ... And all the little musical twitter-twatter of trees, bees and shadows that sneeze! 
Keep going - it may get better, it may get worse, but what the heck ...
Myra
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I'm not sure about this write. It's very good and you've certainly made me think about country life differently. There's just something funny...i think its the background throwing me off. I dont know why...it just doesnt fit. Other then that i liked the poem. All my life Ive lived in a small town...its like theres enough houses to make it a city but boredom comes far too easily. I think counrry life comes with anxiety. Nicely done
ZIGGY -
Yes I agree, it is sort of eerie. Missing city life is something people take for granted.
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great write!!! this was sort of eerie. You put a funny twist on living in the country.
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You know, i feel the same way. I always thought that country life would be reasuring but it really isn't. It's makes me tense...lol. Great Job.
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I thought this poem was great. I myself live in the country, and dont like it very much. I mean, yes, I like to walk in the woods sometimes, but I want the sounds of the city. More places to go and more things to do.
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I have lived
in the city and the country
and the consensus for me
is that i prefer the city life.
This is one poem that is quite
nostalgic. I enjoyed this
take care-Olivia -
the description was excellent in this poem. i felt it so well. i loved the line: "A country mile has no measure in city blocks"- really took me to the country with that as i imagined the open spaces and the odd feeling it gives. keep on writing... keep on being... keep on making art... penumbrapoet
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Change huh? always hard. Not being sure of what is around the corner. Lovely write. I also long for the inner quiet but seem to find it in the city better than out here in the country. Great write.
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Golden
No comments? I am surprised. I am very impressed with the diction, it works really well with the poem. I also like the second last stanza, its a bit ironic, but it has a ray of hope at the same time. Expressed what I think not many feel, but those who do, feel with a passion. I obviously am very fond of it. Kudos.
P.S. sorry I took so long to comment, my computer is in the shop and it makes it difficult to get on the internet!
Edited on Oct 17, 12:15 because ''.
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