The Sound of a Person Inferred

The sound of air moving, of moving
air. The sound, moving through air,
of air. The sounds of other things,
other sounds, impromptu syncopation--

a glass against marble; a door,
a bird, silverware and silverware,
a plate against wood, none of these
seen, only heard, a person inferred.

The dopplerized squall of a passing car.
A lid going back on a jar.


hans ostrom 2018

The Talk Artist

She kept talking. I let her talking
be the sound of a creek, an abstraction
made of sound waves.

Then her talking began to sound
like a sea, rising and retreating.
It mesmerized me.

"Does that make any sense?"
she asked. I roused myself
from hearing to answer:

"Yes, and it's beautiful in its
own way," I said, referring
to her talking. That

induced her to talk more.
She was a compulsive talk artist.
She talked as if to breathe.



hans ostrom 2018