Silent Symphony

proc·ess 

1.a systematic series of actions directed to some end

2.a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner: the process of decay.

3.Law

a.the summons, mandate, or writ by which a defendant or thing is brought before court for      litigation.

b.the whole course of the proceedings  in an action at law.

4.Photography . photomechanical or photoengraving methods collectively.

5.Biology, Anatomy . a natural outgrowth, projection, or appendage: a process of a bone.

It’s 10 in the morning, just a few minutes after opening. The building is waking up-- the processing has begun and movement begins to define the space. There are three, then five, then twenty. Users. The light coming in through the numerous ceiling windows is the clean light of hundreds of new days, one for each of us to use as we will.

Order is King here. Battles are fought every day against the commonplace disarray of everyday life, but they never end. On the first floor, a minor victory-the unused formal sitting room not meant for children or puppies, immaculately kept and watched over with mindful eyes. Upstairs, the prospects are not as good. Further from the watchtower, it's every teenagers basement den where furtive actions are less likely to be noticed. Purposeful disorganization.

pub·lic

1.of, pertaining to, or affecting a population or a community as a whole: public funds; a public nuisance.

2.done, made, acting, etc., for the community as a whole: public prosecution.

3.open to all persons: a public meeting.

4.of, pertaining to, or being in the service of a community or nation, especially as a government officer: a public official.

5.maintained at the public expense and under public control: a public library; a public road.

Each table becomes the temporary home of an occupant, who for the time being creates a miniature universe to fill the surrounding air.  Those who don't associate with a table, the free orbiters- they wander around, each with the uncertain gait of a person who is looking for something without knowing exactly what it is he is searching for. Maybe they will find an answer before they leave today, but nothing is certain. 

con·so·nance

1.accord or agreement.

2.correspondence of sounds; harmony of sounds.

3.Music . a simultaneous combination of tones conventionally accepted as being in a state of repose. Compare dissonance ( def. 2 ) .

4.Prosody .

a.the correspondence of consonants,  especially those at the end of a word, in a passage of prose or verse. Compare alliteration ( def. 1 ) .

b.the use of the repetition of consonants  or consonant  patterns as a rhyming device.

5.Physics . the property of two sounds the frequencies of which have a ratio equal to a small whole number.

The tension between future and past is palpable, physical, and unavoidable. If the pursuit of order is a battle, this struggle is the war. Digital harbingers of...what exactly?  Mechanical clacking, frustrated sighing, laughter, muted discussions, the jangling of a cell phone all mingle together, a cacophonous symphony of sound that is the prelude to Act One.  This is a noisy place for anyone who is listening. Even the quiet here is full of an expectant sort of chatter and I tilt my head to listen better.

in·quir·y

noun, plural in·quir·ies.

1.a seeking or request for truth, information, or knowledge.

2.an investigation, as into an incident: a Congressional inquiry into the bribery charges.

3.the act of inquiring  or of seeking information by questioning; interrogation.

4.a question; query.

He is searching for a book. She is searching for a job. She is searching for a quiet space. He is searching for a free wireless connection. She is searching for someplace to get warm, just for a little while. Everyone here is on a quest, at the beginning or middle or end, or maybe it is still just an idea, but this place, it is the nexus of a thousand odysseys.

con·nect

1.to join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind: to connect the two cities by a bridge; Communication satellites connect the local stations into a network.

2.to establish communication between; put in communication: Operator, will you please connect me with Mr. Jones?

3.to have as an accompanying or associated feature: pleasures connected with music.

4.to cause to be associated, as in a personal or business relationship: to connect oneself with a group of like-minded persons; Our bank is connected with major foreign banks.

5.to associate mentally or emotionally: She connects all telegrams with bad news.

A  stranger asks for my assistance and I oblige. He is trying to apply for a job with Old Dominion Power, but his resume is trapped on a thumb drive.  We work through the process together, a team, and he is once again hopeful. We bond over a small coincidence, our child-size computers, dirty blue netbooks that are our faithful tools. Afterwards, he hands me his card and suggests I call the local recruitment office. Be one of the few, the proud. A new start, where everyone has a place to be and a job to do. The home of the brave, even here in this, a neutral ground, a place of peace. I put the card in my wallet. Thank you, I say.

sys·tem

1.an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole: a mountain system; a railroad system.

2.any assemblage or set of correlated members: a system of currency; a system of shorthand characters.

3.an ordered and comprehensive assemblage of facts, principles, doctrines, or the like in a particular field of knowledge or thought: a system of philosophy.

4.a coordinated body of methods or a scheme or plan of procedure; organizational scheme: a system of government.

5.any formulated, regular, or special method or plan of procedure: a system of marking, numbering, or measuring; a winning system at bridge.

I take my leave after about an hour. Walking down the stairs, back on to the street- I feel as though I have been napping too long but am not yet ready to wake up. The quiet is different outside, softer somehow, even as it is punctuated by car horns and the overhead planes raking through the air from Reagan.  The building is hulking behind me, waiting until next week when I will be inevitably drawn in once again to the pulsating glow of florescent lighting and squeaky aroma of too clean carpets. I give it a little salute, then turn my back and walk away.


Definitions courtesy of dictionary.com