I began to listen in my blue room at the Sheraton.A door slammed. A man coughed. He walked down the hall with a jingle of keys. The God of Remorse and Boredom checking out..
I visited Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and stood a long time in the cemetery where Lincoln delivered his address. It was late in the day and there was a cold drizzle. There was no one around. I realized after a time that I was hearing a woodpecker in one of the sycamore trees.
Hermes the messenger god listened for subtleties of wind. The god who closed the eyes of the dying was also a sailor’s friend.