what the quiet can do . . .

it never fails, time spent in rural areas after living in cities always reinforces the concept of quiet and silence. it is quiet here, now, in coatesville pennsylvania. it is a strange place for me to be. things here are worn. don't mistake this with old, there are plenty of old things in this part of the country, but i mean worn, beat down and tired. there is a town whose steel mill shut down years ago and has never recovered. there are thrown-up homes from the mid-70s with moldy aluminum siding and fake decorative shutters with no function. and there are brand new thrown-up condos whose crap construction is already showing. it's a bit depressing. if i had a history in this town, i might feel different, but i didn't and so the isolation is even more acute. i can't think of any place i'd rather be less than here, right now. ok.