[dry close mic single snap then silence] Wake up (snap) Morning call Dive and fall Dive and fall Black and white Up and high Up and high [soft documentary tone steady pulse light foot taps] Agitation— I feel it. Anger? Joy? Missile dive— looks like fury. Bank and roll— it’s play. Momentarily confused or just different. I watch. Fall back on wonder: we’re not so different. [add wind bed low traffic wash widen stereo slightly] Back and forth Building to building Dive and fall Dive and falling Black and white Ceiling to ceiling Up and high Up and reeling [percussion turns staccato clipped consonants] Rooftop banter Four, then two, then five Back and forth Building to building [brief pause drop pulse] One higher than the rest Looking down Tail bobbing [first kiss call single then breath] All of this arguing done with blown kisses [second kiss call sharper] The spat intensifies— kisses become artillery [kiss calls build four quick hits irregular spacing] Blown kisses. Everywhere. At once. [hard cut to near silence voice flat] Too much to follow for a day with things to do [turn away footsteps retreating indoors] Inside. The routine takes over. [sound narrows muffled interior hum] What looks like a nosedive —no— sharp turn upward to the next building [close mic again slow deliberate] Observe flight. Imagine swim. [spoken sudden clipped] NO. [return calm] Document flight— dream swim. [pulse resumes but wrong off balance] Off-track rollercoaster ride groundless trajectory [voice low almost ashamed] They pull up; I would fall— still riding nothing [bring back outdoor bed traffic wind but thinner] Cacophony for hours, then the morning takes over. I stop, look out— expect diversion— [full stop silence then whisper] they’re gone.
