Tears caught in your throat
and a catch in your voice
that is the sound of breathing.

A phony falsetto
with a giggle bubbling underneath
that is the sound of singing.

A stirring in your heart
and a fluttering of weak wings
that is the sound of freedom.

The bleating of newborn lambs
and the squirting of cold milk
into your wide-open mouth
that is the sound of childhood.

Tank tops air-drying on the terrace
the sun sweeping its rays down low
and back up again
that is the sound of summer.

The taste of words on your lips
strains of their lifeless and half-formed melody
that is the song of imagination.