The Ear Of The Beholder Poem by Alan Bruce Thompson

It sounds so fine, so delicate, so rare,
But to me it's so loud, like elephants coming up for air.

What's delicate for one, is breaking the sound barrier for another,
Like pitch and timbre for quiet sister and loud brother.

The high hum, the firm tone, the tenor of the note,
Allows you to rise, crescendo, to float.

I've tried to reinstate the concert hall ear,
But from living in traffic, there's nothing I can hear.

I'm the one everywhere with the headphones on.
There's no music at all, just a noise canceling tone.