Sound Walk

As I step outside of my building I begin to hear the wind howling. My building has a garden in the middle so for the meantime it is quiet. I walk the tunnel to the street and almost instantly I begin to hear kids laughing about things that happened in school as well as play fighting. I hear the scuffles of their sneakers a scratching the cement and the items inside their backpacks bouncing. Mixed in with those sounds I also hear cars honking and rubber on pavement. I hear cars speeding and more horns in the distance from the Bruckner expressway. Drilling and hammering from a nearby construction sight. A tractor moving metal from one place to another and the slush from wet mud being spread. I walk further down the block and listen to the bell of a corner store opening and the last half of a mans sentence as he walks out with bags rustling and sounds of his teeth crushing chips. From the ground I hear and feel the vibration of the passing train. Different conversations go in my ear and out. I step down to the subway station and the booth employee is on the microphone assisting a customer, I swipe my metrocard and peacefully wait for the train. The train is approaching and I hear the roar from a distance as it slows down and makes a screeching sound. The doors slam open and I am in another environment. 10 different conversations going on, but I hear them all muffled as I am accustomed to the noise by now. Leaving the Bronx and entering Manhattan the conversation subjects change to business talk. I hear way more car horns and sounds from all over to crumbs being stepped on to car doors slamming, phones ringing, and tree branches breaking. I grow tired of the noise and walk to a secluded area in central park where it seems as if you’re not even in the city anymore. Wind crashing with the trees, a waterfall, leaves cracking from squirrels running through. No artificial sounds nor human made.