Plugged in.
Engaged.
The sound of the system’s whine
as it powers up.
Disconnect.
Power down.
The high pitched,
almost imperceptible sound
of a powered device
gives way to true silence
and I can hear rain falling,
wind blowing.
Solitary sounds,
on a solitary night.
The storm becomes a veil
between the individual
and the rest of society,
much as that
point and click interface
that now sits unplugged.
No one really appreciates
a summer storm
like the blissfully alone.
A warm cup of tea,
a book,
a blanket
and all distractions cease.
The world is every raindrop.
Thunder becomes the dialect
of the solitary.
The moment will be maddeningly brief,
an afternoon, or an evening at best;
so each droplet,
each flash of lightning
must be savoured.
Then, the rain ceases
and the Sun begins to break up the clouds.
Birds sing in the trees again
and we know that it is time
to rejoin the world.
The veil lifts,
we plug back in.
The individual rejoins society
and that high pitched whine
of systems drawing power,
becomes lost in the sounds
of our awakening world.
HG – 2016
