Last night, about 3 a.m.,

I heard an owl hoot in the darkness

As I was working at the computer.

I Googled “Owls in Southeast, US” 

But found Canadian, Thai, and Nepali owls instead.

After listening to audios of hoot owls,

The sound was close enough

To send me to bed in peace.

But, as I was nearly asleep,

Two gunshots rang out into the night.

I turned over onto my back

So I could free my ears to listen,

And three more pops split the darkness.

Were they really gunshots?

I’ve heard them before at that time of night.

It’s possible –

I live a block from a subway station.

I turned back over to go to sleep,

Since this was not a problem I could solve at night,

Choosing to hold onto

The sound of the owl

Over the other option.

The truth is, I live where I do,

Because of its proximity to giant, green trees,

As well as rapid transit.

In my current brainstorming about what town to move to next,

And what to be close to,

I think I have just made my choice.