so many things happened tonite and today. i am not sure how to say it all. i drove 3 and a half hours to a civil war museum in virginia that seemed to be an revisionist shrine discounting that the confederacy and war between the states had any significant connection to slavery. it was in a strip mall. then i got drunk and recorded vocals and tried to tried to smash a bottle in the shower but it wouldn't break.
then i spent $18 on one shot of stunning whiskey and read about how dead bodies were collected and named during the civil war. then i walked home a leaned into a juniper bush a shined an LED flashlight into it to see what i could see. the cops asked what i was doing and i said "bird watching." they said "where is your book?" and i said "the best book i ever read on bird watching said not to bring one but to really see them and not be distracted by cataloging until you get home." he said."ok" and turned his spot light off of me, laying in a bush.
in the South there are so many more bugs than in California. i cannot get over it. i shinned my beam into a gardenia tree and saw a huge web with a light green spider in the middle. there was also a purple flower caught in the web about a foot from the spider. if i shone the light just right they were floating together in nothing.
there is a church on the corner of my new block where people play ecstatic church music until 4 am most nights. you can only hear it outside usually. tonite there were 3 drummers all playing 3 drum kits to a record and totally going crazy physical and not really listening, just feeling themselves move. it is so beautiful. is that what i am doing here? jasmine the cat is trying to catch a beetle on the other side of the glass.

 

it has been an odd day for email.
a woman who was a parent at a school that i worked in for about a month when i was 19 wrote and said she is still thinking about my mouth. creepy.
i do not remember who she is or who her child is but she did correctly state the time period and school.
so then...
PLEASE EMAIL A PHOTO OF YOUR MOUTH TO BE POSTED HEREAFTER! willitburn@hotmail.com
DO
IT!
WHY NOT?

 

Crunch crunch of lettuce and dried pinapple in my teeth
Running water over my skin
crunch crunch crunch crunch
pitter patter of cat paws pawing at each other
creaking of the fan
buzzing of insects
death due to pitter patter pawing
crackling of my kretek cigarette

Beth - Dover, DE

It starts with the almost silent, inaudible, barely there sound of air filling my lungs, (or what's left of them). I once heard that you do not burn holes in your lungs, they are filled with pockets of tar.

Followed by pulsating beats from angered music, which I quickly swap for a more calming tune.

All of this is accompanied by the whir of a fan.

Inside, there is an orchestral piece playing that differs from the noise that surrounds me. My thoughts are moving with rapidity falling without meaning swirling around among gelatinous nerves I am abandoning town soon swapping suburban nothingness the sound of crickets yelping at five in the morning for the ever present soundtrack of cars and planes trannies in heels marking the concrete never sleeping.

A woodpecker knocks on my roof.

A car rushes past. Then, another.

Life on a highway leads to this. Life on a highway leads to unpleasantries.

Since, there is not much audial stimulus, I'm finding, I'll replay the sounds of yesterday.

Memory induced tinnitus: Metal grates against steel. Hot fenders collide. Everyone screams. Conceptual intercourse, or just another accident on the curb?

"I can't believe you wrecked my car fuck you you fucking asshole fuck you fuck.

Traveling, tiptoeing back inside. Turning all extraneous noise down, blocking out everything. I am left with the sound of my breathing irregularly dispersed along the beats of my heart. Occasionally, the end of an exhale spills over onto the beginning of an inner "thump," which flows directly into the next inhale.

It's as if someone captured all that is bittersweet and looped it seamlessly.

Alexandra

 

FUCK YOU
JAMIE STEWART.

 

"a popular poem that appeared in several versions in the black press illustrated this conception of achieving equity through equivalent suffering. a "brave confederate chief" is killed in battle and is carried home to his mother, who greets the death of her only son with "frantic sorrow."
her "aged slave" comes to offer her not consolation but justice. "missus," she declares, "we is even, now." the white mother had sold all ten of her slave's children, so now neither woman has any remaining offspring; the two mothers are alone together in common loss. the mistress must now, in the words of her slave, "to the Avenger bow." the war is God's instrument for balancing the accounts of righteousness:

 

Sex Offenders Forced To Live Under Miami Bridge

May 20, 2009 · In Miami, a causeway in the middle of Biscayne Bay has become home to one of the county's least desirable populations: sex offenders.

What began a few years ago as a stopgap solution has become de facto public policy. For sex offenders with few resources who want to stay in Miami, there's just one option: an encampment of tents and shacks on the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

The encampment got started a few years ago, when Miami-Dade County, like other communities across the country, adopted an ordinance banning sex offenders from living within 2,500 feet of anywhere that children gather.

It's a law that applies not just to sex offenders on probation but also to felons who have served their time — people like 31-year-old Juan Martin. He served an eight-year sentence for exposing himself to a teenaged girl.

After Martin got out of prison in 2006, his probation officer brought him to what at that time was just a small camp of several men and a few tents under the bridge on the causeway. After three years of living here, he's angry. He says, "The state is forcing you to live like an animal."

'Why Do I Have To Be Here?'

What once was a collection of tents has now become a small village. There are a half-dozen shacks, some with kitchens and working toilets. A few of the men have built a dock for fishing where some small boats are tied up.

Right now, 67 people live here. And nearly every week, probation officers drop off sex offenders, recently released, who have nowhere else to go.

Voncel Johnson recently became the first woman who was told she'd have to live under the bridge. She says when her probation officer dropped her off at the camp, it was unexpected and frightening.

"I'm thinking she's bringing me to a three-quarter-way house," Johnson recalls. "But when I got here it was … pitch dark. The first thing I saw was men, and I'm the only lady here. … I broke down. I'm asking her, 'Why do I have to be here?'"

Johnson pleaded guilty to a charge that she exposed herself to a friend's children — an incident she now says never happened.

As Martin says, the people who live under the bridge aren't saints.

'People Break Down So Bad'

During the day, most of the people who live in the encampment leave for jobs or to visit their families until evening, when their curfews require them to come back and live in what Martin calls inhumane conditions.

"We've had two heart attacks here," he says. "And we've had a couple of times where people break down so bad — they don't eat, they try suicide attempts."

Martin shows me his left arm, where there are scars that he says are from his own suicide attempts.

Safer With 'An Army of Angry, Homeless' Offenders?

State prison officials and probation officers are not happy about the situation under the bridge. They believe it is leading sex offenders to stop registering with the state and go underground.

That's one reason why state Sen. David Aronberg has been working to replace the hodgepodge of county and city ordinances with a new state law. It would set a single 1,500-foot restriction for sex offenders that would enable them to find housing inside of communities.

And, unlike the current law in Miami, it would also restrict sex offenders' movements during the day, creating child-protection zones that would keep offenders away from places where children congregate.

Aronberg says the laws as currently written make little sense. He asks, "How is it that an army of angry homeless sex offenders who are roaming our streets [makes] us safer?"

Resistance To Changing Restrictions

So far, officials in Miami-Dade County say they see no reason to change the ordinance.

Jose "Pepe" Diaz is one of the county commissioners who sponsored the law. He concedes that the growing encampment presents health and safety problems but notes that it's the state, not the county, that's put the sex offenders there. And that's a population for which he has little or no sympathy.

He says, "I have to deal with people everyday that I get calls from … looking for jobs because they lost their house, they don't have a job. That's my most important priority."

The fact is, about half the counties in Florida now have an ordinance similar to the one in Miami. There are fewer and fewer places sex offenders can legally live in the state after they are released from prison.

Fred Grimm, a columnist for The Miami Herald, has been a regular visitor to the camp on the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

Grimm is convinced that county officials know they made a mistake but are waiting for outside forces — action by the Legislature or a lawsuit — to resolve the problem.

"You don't lose votes by being tough on sex offenders," he says. "We've all seen… spontaneous homeless camps pop up. But this is a camp created by public policy."

And it's a camp that is getting crowded. The space under the causeway can't handle too many more people.

Miami-Dade County officials may have to find a new location for sex offenders or take them north to Broward County. A highway bridge there recently became home to the region's second encampment of sex offenders.

 

since i have moved to the durham i have been called a faggot three times. today it happened at (WTF!!!!!!) trader joe's grocery store.
the last time someone called me that to my face was in 2002 in line at a gas station bathroom in atlanta. one gets used to not hearing it.
i hate this fucking town more and more every second i am here.
if you hear of there being a huge, consuming fire in the area hunt me down and kill me for i will have been the one who set it.

 

 

Ambient
Experimental
Minimalist
subscription #5 - BLUE
is sent out today
please let me know if everything is not alright

 

sounds of an approximate hour from provincetown in cape cod,
massachusetts (a place that is not completely stupid but that i am
never going to again after this summer)
a man on a bicycle yelling at me to advertise his drag show, which is
called "mormon princess"
poodle's nails on concrete
hundreds of bicycles
fatboy slim's "praise you" in coffee shop
espresso machine
"chatter"
aol instant messenger ding doings
plastic hitting recycling bin
cash register
severely overweight and sweaty UPS man grunting
buzz of modern electronics

maureeeeeeeeen

 

 

nonsense
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nonsensenonsense


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nonsense
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nonsense
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nonsensenonsense
nonsensenonsensenonsensenonsense
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nonsense
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nonsense
nonsense
nonsense

 

 

doorknob turning
door slamming
cars speeding
weed nuggets breaking
lighter clicking
slap-slap-slap of a brand new cigarette pack against my wrist
various kinds of smoke being exhaled through my mouth
computers droning
mosquitoes buzzing
pretty girl behind the counter asking me if i've ever borrowed anything before
me telling pretty girl behind the counter that i like her tattoos
stomach rumbling embarrassingly (no breakfast!)
at least half an hour of xiu xiu (ed. thanks!)

- m. (burlington, vt)

 

mai in hanoi
1130pm to 1230 am july 2 2009

bugs near my head
radio doppler effect from a car passing
my radio
slippers on floor
breathing
roommate on telephone
telephone ringing
wind
people talking on the street walking by
scooter
book falling on the floor
glass breaking from falling on the floor
sweeping
cursing
glass falling into trash
roommate crying in next room
telelphone ringing
pen on paper
cats fighting
baby crying
foot steps past window
clothes moving or brushing against itself
breathing
water boiling
tea being swallowed
tea cup being picked up and set down
peeing
water from washing hands
nuts or seeds or something like that falling from tree onto the street
door opening and closing
roommate talking to me
me talking to roommate
roommate dramatically collapsing onto the floor and sighing

***********
8:39 a.m.

fan
allergy sneeze
large vehicle somewhere
airplane flying over
chirping bird
miscellaneous vehicle
different bird
vehicle revving up a block away
bird
clock chiming 45 minutes after the hour
a door slamming a few houses down
airplane
vehicle
crow
window shutting
airplane
a loud yawn and scratching of my hair
clock chiming 9 o'clock
bed creaking
yawn while rubbing my eyes (i am always amazed that this is so audible)
bed creaking while getting up
walking around
eyeglasses opening up
bedroom door
bathroom door
flowing forth the river of life
flushing toilet
sink
soap
water
towel
door
hardwood floors creaking
back door
wooden porch
cough
birds
wind in the greenery
cars a few blocks away
back door slamming on accident
bedroom door
sounds of getting dressed
fishing a book out of a messenger bag
back door
stairs
the sound of feet walking through grass that needs to be cut
unraveling a hammock and attaching it to the hammock frame (this is louder than it theoretically should be!)
husky fellow trying to lay in a hammock
bird calling
car door shutting
couple two doors down is talking to their daughter in the backyard about something she wasn't supposed to do
bird
airplane
neighbor dog howling? or neighbor is coming down off heroin.
birds chirping
crow caws
dog again
distant crow
distant dog
fire truck sirens far away (that would explain the howling dog)
i think that there are only two birds very near me that are singing. one goes and then the other.
distant traffic on division street.
crow
the sounds of reading, pages turning
unidentified falling object in giant bush beside me
something is squeaking...brakes? horrendous
bumblebee molesting the blackberry bush three feet from my head
that fucking dog is howling again
ah...more sirens
bumblebee
truck
more birds
sound of cell phone beeping

9:39 a.m.

****************

16:49 - 17:49 26.06.2009
polandia

plane
noises of computer
woofing dog
mouse click click klik
sheets of paper
ambulance
grandpa
mama (people's voice)
wind wind wind!
my chair telling (in typical chair way) something about unspeakable sreffiung (sic) which apparently only chairs knowand some 'floor stuff sounds', you know

do not publish, just fo fuuuun

nothing 'wow', rather 'you need more wow'

greetings :))
--
jj

*****************
jamie
durham. north carolina
1:15 am and 2:15 am

all the sounds i have heard in a hour

ceiling fan
clicking of computer keys
refrigerator turning on and off
clock ticking
my own breathing
chair creaking
my hand passing over the skin on my leg or face
cereal being poured into a bowl
crunching
refrigerator opening and closing
soy milk being poured and being set on the shelf
bowl hitting the sink
spoon hitting the sink
page of a book turning
book being set down on table
text message alert beep
clicking of phone keys
closing phone
plastic bag under the table being kicked
ears ringing
my own yawning
sirens and cars passing my house
teeth clicking together
a few songs from the record "desertshore" by nico
a small laugh thinking about a record that could be called "dessert shore" by donut


****************
here's a list:

A LOT of birds singing
the wind blowing
leaves dancing
three cars passing by
children screaming somewhere in the distance
flies
my guinea pigs eating grass and all those other way too cute sounds they make
a bird stealing food
trying to escape
flying against the window
but not dying
the grass under my feet as I walked back to the house
doors opening
doors closing
TV
my brother sneezing
the chair as I sit down
my fingers caressing the keyboard
and the worst sound ever: my brother's band practice
hooray for "I-don't-know-which-band"-coverbands
annoying, so I decided to watch South Park.
I guess we all know the sound of that.
(I watched two episodes so that's only 17 minutes of sounds, sorry)

-

do I really have to tell you my name? I'm from Belgium.
call me Nad i a

I would have sent you some guinea pig sounds but I don't know how to put them onto my laptop.




******************

alecia Oklahoma

BuzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzZZZzzzz (computer monitor)

BaaaDING DINGGGG (phone call)

Me: Hello, thank you for calling… may I please have YOUR name?

Caller: Wijoon

Me: Hi, Wijoon

Shuffling paper

Cubical Neighbor: my little girl caught a frog, and said hey daddy!

Me: CUTE

Cubical Neighbor: I know! She said OH NO, Daddy! Wash hands DADDY?!

BaaaDING DINGGGG (phone call)

Crackling plastic

Closing Door

Old Lady Laughing

BaaDING DINGGG

Another call takes place

Cube Neighbor: Hey, what data plan does the LG Vu need?

Me: Data Unlimited, it is not a PDA!

Cube Neighbor: Really, but it has a touch screen.

Me: You’re correct, still not a PDA.

Baaaaaaa DINGGGGG

*mute phone*

Ahhhhcheeeeeeeewww (sneezy wheeeeezy sounds)

Cube Neighbor: Are you alive over there?!

Me: Yes, just ALLERGIES! (congested tone)

Co-worker coughing

******************

sounds 1:42 -2:42
this is a list of every sound i heard in an hour. the things in italics, are things i said.
my name is jill h***y, i am from king of prussia.
heartbeats by the knife
nail biting
timer on the dryer
chair rocking back and forth
rose speaks
door closes
slurping papaya smoothie
girls night out by the knife
door opens
more nail biting
foot tapping
rose yells
mouse click
footsteps
pass this on by the knife
computer sighs when it turns off
finger run through hair
fingers tapping
i sing along to the words “some company on the dancefloor.”
bird chirp outside
rose says, “heyyyyyyy! i can’t do it now!”
mouse click
one for you by the knife
chair creaks
wind
hum off computer turning back on
rose yells. loudly.
more birds, louder.
door opens and closes twice.
door opens upstairs.
stomping.
metal bowls clang against each other.
cop by the knife
“wait a second…why is this…did this reboot?”
“yes.”
listen now by the knife.
“rose, can you put this game away?”
skipping.
toys pushed around.
velcro is undone.
running.

************************
I'm Michael S****k a 17 y/o fan from the chi, Illinois.
*************
I listened to the sounds coming from and around me for about an hour. The place I sat is always very quiet, on the edge of a ravine. Most of the sounds are muffled by a dense wall of trees. I was surprised how noisy I was just sitting there reading, and how it would be strange if the little sounds people make could be amplified over a large area and heard by people from miles around. That would be mostly gross and irritating....

-a dog barking
-a bird chittering (i wish i knew what kind of bird this was. it made one long continuous chitter for most of the time i sat outside)
-a kid laughing
-kids talking
-wind blowing through the poplars
-someone speeding on the highway
-swallowing of pineapple juice
-clearing my throat
-the hum of an airplane
-another bird chirping
-a burp (yes, that was me)
-pages of a book flipping
-another airplane in the distance, getting louder
-a glass being set down
-a sigh
-next door neighbors opening a door
-teeth knocking against a glass
-teeth clicking as I bit the inside of my cheek
-a siren, possibly ambulance
-kids talking excitedly again, one yells something
-intermittent gusts of wind in the trees
-another siren
-a wasp buzzing
-the branch of a tree snapping
-my neck cracks
-a sneeze
-kids banging stuff together, one yells "HEY!...MIKE!"
-leaves crunching
-a car accelerates on the highway
-a robin's wings flutter
-the wood creaks in the wall of my house

At this point I stopped because the same sounds kept repeating in different variations. Plus it was getting cold out.

Dearly,

Kristen

 

do i look more like this guy



or that guy?