ipods

I wonder what the effect of always walking around plugged in is? Everyone is in their own bubble of music, but perhaps we miss the sounds of everyday life. So, this morning I listened and this is what I heard:

Downtown followed by William Tell on a saxophone
i smile
the growl of bus engines
kerclunk of a till as money is collected
a moving trolley beeping as it rolls past
'doors closing, please stand clear'
the soft electrical hum as the train gets faster
bouncing, creaking of machinery,
the carriages, like a rusty-springed bed
the hollow beat of empty music
a repetitive ta-ta, ta-ta, ta-ta
as the train rolls over uneven rail
spoken silence filled with noise
and the tap of footsteps on plastic stairs