The missing conductor

The trees were filled

with twittering birds

who paid no attention to the mail truck

dutifully buzzing

house to house

along the street,

the way a bumblebee buzzes

flower to flower.

The sound of footsteps

jogged by on the sidewalk

and a plane rumbled somewhere

far overhead

as the neighborhood dogs

exchanged warnings of boundary violations.

In spite of the flurry of vibration

and a perfectly functioning set of ear drums,

she sat in silence,

unable to move

and unwilling to

pretend she could hear

the symphony.

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