Volume

is more relative
than you’d think.

In a quiet room,
even a whisper can be bothersome.
At a concert, you have to scream
just to be heard
and then your voice is
garbled
muffled
drowned
and who could care?

Wendy prefers things
SCREAMING
music especially
but sometimes I feel also
her husband
her daughter
her self.
If I were a shrink
I might say it makes her feel
BIG
and IN CONTROL
but who’d ask me?

Dan likes things quiet
serene
tranquil
unobtrusive
his little, exclusive world.
Sometimes, I belong.
If I were paid to do so,
I might say it makes him feel BIG
and IN CONTROL
but I don’t service for free.