Earbud—a tiny marble sheathed in foam   
to wear like an interior earring so you   
can enjoy private noises wherever you go,   
protected from any sudden silence.   
Only check your batteries, then copy   
a thousand secret songs and stories   
on the tiny pod you carry in your pocket.   
You are safe now from other noises made   
by other people, other machines, by chance,   
noises you have not chosen as your own.   
To get your attention, I touch your arm   
to show you the tornado or the polar bear.   
Sometimes I catch you humming or talking to the air   
as if to a shrunken lover waiting in your ear.