I am back on terra firma, sound rushing through my feet and up in a cacophony of thought, worry, consternation that somehow fades on the coast, transitions into whitecaps and whale song, a quiet not to be found among these common conflicts at home, the roar of traffic, the flight plan overhead, the bells and buzzes of business.
How is the sound of the ocean and all its occupants some two miles deep meager competition to the loudness of this day today? The ever present noise of them and us and this…even here in my beloved woods.
Poem & Photo ©2025 Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you can read similar in my books and zines, available from Three Chairs Publishing on my ETSY SHOP. They come autographed, with gratitude and a small gift.
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2 replies on “Clamor”
Yes. I’m sitting in my backyard and the cacophony is deafening. The usual birds, loud from sheer numbers, joined by too many loud vehicles on the too-close road and multiple jets overhead. We rarely get jets. Disturbing my peace in more ways than just aurally.
I’m thinking of Mary Oliver’s poem “Why I Wake Early” when I say that I get up very, very early to enjoy the lovely quiet of the day. I know when 6:30 arrives because it’s when the first plane takes off from the nearby (currently being expanded) airport. For me, if I miss an early morning wake-up, I feel harassed by the clamor all day long!