Drip

When I sleep with the windows wide open,
A rare summer night – no A/C,
The noises put out by the city
Come wafting nine floors up to me.

I don’t mind the taxis or buses –
Folks need to be taking those trips –
There’s only one noise that can drive me insane:
That’s the hammering dripping of drips.

Above me, the tenth floor apartment
Has the A/C cranked up to full blast;
I do not begrudge them their comfort,
But my sanity’s vanishing fast.

For their unit lets loose, like a heartbeat,
A drip uncontrolled, like a sneeze;
It reminds me of some water torture
Someone said was used by the Chinese.

For the drip-drip-drip-drip is incessant;
There’s never a pause or a break.
It’s now three o’clock in the morning,
And I’m lying in bed, wide awake.

The city’s not known for its quiet;
That’s not why I live in its grip.
I’ll sacrifice space, calm, and comfort,
If only there wasn’t this drip!