Sounds of the Night

 Sometimes I wake up during the night, two o’clock or three o’clock. The first thing I am aware of is the sound of the refrigerator condenser which is quite loud in the silence of the night.   

The condenser goes on and off in a rhythmic swing working hard to keep the refrigerator working efficiently.  

So, when I am tossing and turning trying to get back to sleep, I hear the condenser doing its job. The condenser stays on for about 2 minutes and off for four minutes.  

During these four minutes the silence slices through the air except for the occasional conversation leaking through the thin old walls of this one-hundred-year-old building.  

During these four minutes I can ask important questions to my inner self and get answers.  

During these four minutes my ears hear walking souls both living and dead.  

During these four minutes my two cats are fast asleep next to me heavily breathing. 

During these four minutes there is profound peace that allows me to fall back to sleep before the condenser kicks in again.  

Sometimes I wake up during the night, I know what to expect and I am unafraid of the silence.

Georgia P.

3.3.2021