an ear full

the third cup
of coffee does it.
sort of.
wakes
you into a reasonable state
of mind.
still annoyed
and grumpy
at many things, but alert
and in observation
mode.
why these birds
have to chirp so loud
in the morning
is beyond you.
that dog barking,
the neighbor with his
leaf blower
and crying kid,
his wife
talking on the phone
about how
she loves
Donald trump,
his hair
and je ne sais pas.
the windows are only
single pane,
with wooden frames
circa 1967, so you hear
everything.
everything.
you go back a little farther.
another decade
or so
and your one ear still
works good
enough to hear what's
going on.
where's the cotton?