I recently found this phenomenon to be both metaphorically and literally true, (don’t worry, I’m fine.) I don’t even live in the city, where I imagine desensitization to traffic noises must be even worse. Those moments of denial, or perhaps blissful ignorance, make the sudden drop in your stomach that much worse when you realize those emergency vehicles are coming for you, your friends, or even your family, and this is all really happening.
Sirens in the Distance
My whole life, I’ve been trained
to wipe away the wailing cries
of ambulances, fire trucks, cop cars,
as no more than white noise
native to urban and suburban roads,
to the point that even when
I knew they were coming
and calling for me,
I couldn’t consciously hear them
coming closer, closer, closer.
MaddWierd Poetry 