sounds

barking snorkling piglets cows loOOwing clopityclopityclop

gouchos and horses outside my bedroom window chicharas

RRRREEEEEEEE droning the sunset deafening TA TAH springing
TA TAH tin roof rains “adiOOOSSSS pues” with a pat on the head

“YIEEEEEE!!!” shrieks of neighborhood soccer playing

in the street wind rattling closed doors cacophonous drum beats
vibrating office doors the prrradum prrrradum

heartbeat of laughing earth teenage secrets
jembe drum marathons nintendoesque frog-song

peAwpeeeawwwPEW after torrential rains
toe-tingling thunder ocean waves in the moonlight

“adios callie!” ten times in a row from sarita
my 2-year-old neighbor mariachi serenades

boogie boarding yowlps mountaintop blues harmonica

gigglejamming “RAMA!RAMA!RAMA!” branch ducking

on top of the bus gggggrrrrOW! frankie fachento’s fachentoish growl

“sounds of silence” during power outages lit
by flashlights dona miriam mmmmaammashumladum hums

“ave maria” chico the robot “dElete.dElete.dElete the file.”

thanksgiving clanking of wine glasses belly laughter painted faces
WE ALL LIVE inayellowsubmarine singalongs in managuan taxis

jairo’s los angeles gangster accent clinkclink of the cordoba

throwing game on every street corner jinglejinglejingle “eskImoOOooo!”

of the ice cream man oliver’s obnoxious

“BUENAS” enthusiastic cesar’s “MUY BIEN, gracias a dios!”

marlon’s doodling cantitos pedro’s fist-pumping-

air-guitar-marathons

to deep purple breeze in the orange blossoms

waterfall roars roosters self important cock-A- dOOdle-OOOO-h-ing

neighborhood radios rattling boMbaDOMbom

boMbaDOMbom reggaeton bass

hipswishing cumbia cracklecracklecrackle wood

burning in adobe stoves sizzlesizzleYUM fresh tortilla dough

and popopopop roasting coffee beans bouncing marimba
mallets offbeat clap (pause) (pause) clap of little ones

popopop mustard seeds in hot oil dangledongledangledongle

church bells on a lazy sunday morning WHOOOONNNNK
WHOOONNNNNKKKKK bus horns tell time better than watches

swishswishswish splashsplash laundry on cement washboards

“yo quiesiera que todo el mundo fuera feliz como yo soy

en mi pueblo” ranchera guitaron BOWBom. BOWBombombom

BOWBom. BOWBom. BOWBom.
BOWBombombom. flamencoguitarlickselectricpassionsteelstring

shuffleshuffle footsteps on the graveled streets scrufflescruffle

YOWLPARRRRRARAR scrufflescruffleYIIIIIYI! dog fights at midnight

“daledaledale!!!” “suavesuavesuave!!!” bus lingo TOC TOC (giggle)

TOC TOC TOC visiting chiguines at the front door d

on coundo’s silent wheezy joyous laughter chelemancho’s joyous

“bueeeeNNNAAAAASSSsssss!” orangeshakingbranches thumpthumpthump

as they hit the ground TSSST TSSST MUCHACHA

down the gauntlet of mainstreet OYE! shweeeeettweet weeeeeeet

yow! whistle language “soooothe me I want some sugarinmy bowllllll”

fin.