The Songs of Morning

Millions and millions of years ago, when I was in the fifth grade, my Language Arts teacher, Mr. McKeown introduced me to the phrase "Songs of Morning". I remember that he talked about the sound his daughter's spoon made against the cereal bowl, the dog barking to get out, the splat of the newspaper against his driveway. I have never heard nor read that phrase again in my life, but this morning, I have a passage of my own.

I was on the couch because I had a 'rough' night. Sigh.

I was awake, but my world was just starting to rise.

The traffic of cars along my street increased as people began their morning trek.

The alarm went off in the bedroom.

Billy Two Swords began to emerge from his peaceful slumber.

For many years now, a little quirk of his has unnerved me. When he wakes up, he sighs and yawns very loudly, for fifteen minutes or so, whether I am awake or not. This behavior reminds me of a grizzly bear emerging from hibernation. He stretches and rolls over and yawns and sighs and stretches again. And then he gets up. Inevitably, I get up as well, since he is so DARN loud about it.

Anyway......on this particular morning, for the very first time in our marriage, I actually found this measure of my morning song to be endearing.

I thought it was cute today.

And then it happened.

Billy Two Swords 'let' one.

You know what I mean.

Yes you do.

It was about four seconds long.

"PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT"

I heard it through the walls.

My morning song was ruined.

Thank God all I smelled was the coffee.