one morning

around dawn I opened the windows, surprised at the birds singing in the branches below me. For the few days, nearly a week, that I had been there, watching, waiting, talking, presenting, I hadn’t noticed this taciturnity. Windows open I turned off the air conditioning, the slow hum vanishing. I didn’t notice as I emerged from the bathroom the silence. Was it then then in the silence that the first shock hit. I didn’t notice that we were living through the earthquake until the second shock shook the building, the trees swayed, cars moved across the road. And when did the birds sing again? then or afterwards? I pull on some clothes, grabbed a few pens, a notebook, wallet, identity documents, phone i think… and as i was about to leave (the opening and shutting of doors as the hotel guests evacuated their rooms. ) And stopped as I saw magpies and crows returning to the trees…