Beware: The Sound of Sirens
A Recording Studio, Somewhere...
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of sirens...
In restless dreams I walked alone...
Hey, um, hold up there. Hold up just a little.
Narrow streets of... Yes? Is something wrong. Was I pitchy?
What? Oh, no. No. You're voice sounded great. Very good.
Well, then. What's the problem?
It sounded like you said sirens on that first refrain.
Well, I did, actually. The sound of sirens.
Yes, well, that's not how it goes.
It doesn't? Pretty sure it does.
No, no. The actual lyrics are 'sound of silence.'
Silence? Now, that doesn't make any sense, does it? Silence doesn't make any sound.
That's the point. This is a 60s protest song.
I know that. That's why there's sirens. You know, "You coppers won't take me alive!" That sort of thing. Very relevant to today, actually.
It's not that kind of protest song. It's about the lack of true communication, the inability to say certain things or do certain things because of the way society is. People are discriminated against, and everyone else has to keep silent.
I'll say there's discrimination! That's because of the sirens!
Okay, look. Just take it from where you left off, and just say silence this time.
All right. All right.
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of sirens
And in the naked light...
Hold up. Hold up. Stop.
What?
You did it again. You said sirens.
I know. I was going to say silence, but then it didn't seem to fit with the lyrics, did it?
What do you mean it didn't fit with the lyrics?
It didn't.
How so?
Well, look at it.
I'm looking.
Down there where it says:
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
Now what do you suppose that is?
It's the neon sign they talk about later in the song. The one they're bowing and praying to.
What? Really? Come on. It's the lights on a police car, man! It's the flashing light! It splits the night! Hence, sound of sirens?
You know, he makes a good point.
Okay, I don't need you chiming in, too.
Sorry.
Look. Let's take a break. Come back to it after lunch. Okay?
Nice. I am getting hungry. I've been thinking of faux waffles all morning.
Faux waffles?
You know, you think they're waffles, but they're not.
I think he means falafels.
Sigh. I'm getting too old for this.
About This Post
This short story is an entry for today's (Wednesday, February 13) five minute freewrite. The prompt is the 'sound of sirens.' If interested in participating, write a post in five minutes using the daily word prompt, publish it, and then link to the day's freewrite post in the comment section.
Song lyrics from Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence.'
Images source—Pixabay
Hello @glenalbrethsen, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!
Well, thank you once again, @creativecrypto. I had some fun putting this together. Some posts just flow out, and this one was more or less like that. I gave it a direction and it just came out from there. If only all posts could be like that. :)
Haha me too 😊
Thanks for the chuckle Glen! Just wanted to pop by and say hi... nice to see you're in prime form still!
Well, hello, @lynncoyle1. It's good to see you. Thank you for checking in. I'm not sure how to ask this, so I'll just do it. How are you? Haven't seen an update in quite a while, so I'm hoping you're taking it as easy as you can and trying to enjoy the moments when you can.
re: prime form
I don't know if I'm ever prime, but my dry sense of humor is still around. My story about pineapples from yesterday apparently attracted some attention from the C-squared crowd, and considering that I couldn't decide what to do with it completely, I'm glad someone is liking it. :)
We are doing ok here, still managing day by day. I just haven't had the inclination to write a post, but considering how I've involved everyone here, I really should write one!
And ask me anything, anytime Glen. Brian's health needn't be the big elephant, that everyone pretends isn't there, standing in the middle of the room 😊
Oh, I'm okay with managing the elephant. It's just asking, "How are you?" seems a little inadequate when I have some idea of what's going on. :)
I'm glad to hear that you're doing okay, given everything, and I don't blame you for not wanting to write a post. And I would hope that everyone else is perfectly fine with that, too, even with a genuine concern for the well-being of both of you. As you say, you have included us to a great degree in your lives, so we're kind of a part of them. :)
Regardless, there's nothing wrong, for any reason whatsoever, for not writing an update, and don't feel like you have to do one just because I mentioned it. I see you pop on discord here and there, so I know you're still around, and while I wish nothing but the best for you and Brian, I also know that some wishes don't get fulfilled until the next life. So, we keep on keeping on until then, right? :)
Thank you so much for that Glen! Keep on keepin' on😊
🤣🤣🤣
🔮Today's prompt delivered by Uncle Bruni🧙♂️
https://steemit.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-482-5-minute-freewrite-thursday-prompt-magical-realism
Posted using Partiko Android
Hey, @wonderwop. Thanks for the prompt! Unfortunately, nothing's coming to mind, except for that gif! Did you just cast a spell? :)
haha! howdy sir Glen! Another brilliant writing job on this freewrite! man, you have a great imagination and then the ability to write what you come up with in such a clever and funny way! This was great sir Glen.
This was a little more on the dry side, so I'm glad you enjoyed it, @janton. Taking a song that's 50-ish year's old probably wasn't the best thing, and then making a few political jabs throughout probably didn't help, either, but, anyway, it kept me entertained, and mostly, that's what I end up doing, since I never really know whose going to see what I wrote, whether they're going to like it/get it or not, and then interact with it.
Unlike the pineapple prompt, this one popped straight into my head to do with the lyrics. I'm not sure why, but if anyone says anything remotely similar to a song lyric I know, that's where my mind goes. It doesn't happen so much that it gets out of control, but I do have to restrain myself from breaking out into song on occasion.
It's been kind of a strange and silly week for me as far as posts go. The last one I did yesterday is probably the most over the top, but has the fewest words. It will be interesting to see what you think of that one. :)
sir Glen! oh now I'm anxious to see the newest one! "but I do have to restrain myself from breaking out into song on occasion." lol...that sounds like a serious problem there, depending on where you are when you get hit with that urge.
Well, probably most people reading that post would have no clue about the song but it was very familiar to me.
That's along time ago when you stop to think about it!