Cold winter morning.
I lie very still in bed,
preserving warmth,
waiting for 5:00 AM
when the furnace kicks on,
burner first, then the blower.
And a lovely sound it makes!
pumping heat through duct work
like the heart pumps blood
to chilled extremities.
Ah...
What is that sound, exactly?
Less than a roar, more than a hum--
a drone? a thrum? a buzz? a whir?
both rumble and murmur...
These sounds of home
(furnace, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer)
sound like comfort...
the home--
and we--
alive and well.
Text and image © 2015 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.