Momentary Blindness (Giardino degli Aranci)


The cold bench underneath my bottom gave me a prime spot to sit down and reflect on this environment. I scraped my hands on the bench to feel the indentations and smooth corners. The peter patter of rain drops on the ground gave me the mind space to go on this adventure of momentary blindness. They also watered me down like a flower when they landed on my head.
I could hear people asking each other in English if they should take another photo of the view. There seems to be a guy on my right side that is shouting stuff in Italian. He goes on for a minute and stays off for a minute to give himself a break. I constantly hear people walking through the gravel which is the most distinct sound of them all because at any moment I can hear the gravel being shuffled around.
In the distance, I kept hearing the cawing of birds. It seems to me that the birds were arguing with one another because they kept going on and on. The cawing became louder and louder as the argument progressed. It could also have been that the birds were flying closer and further away so the volume fluctuated.  I prefer the latter theory…
As for smells, I could not smell much due to my clogged-up nose. When I did take a quick breath of air, it felt fresh. I could smell the after-rain smell that come from the dirt and grime of the environment being cleansed with water. It is a woody smell. I did end up hearing my sniffles throughout the period which was no doubt my favorite sound.

Giardino degli Aranci, 5/27/19

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