What I Hear: Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

 The recognizable chiming of the train door closing signals the start of my journey to class. The muffled voice of announcer advising against holding the door, the banging hands against the glass of those left behind, are expected. The train lurches forward  as the wheels release a screech against the tracks. The train car is filled with murmurs of people discussing politics, pages flipping as commuters read magazines, muffled music seeping through headphones, are all encountered noises. The click-clack of the train wheels on the track rhythmically fill the car. The car is filled with the loud roar of the train making its journey to the next platform. The shuffling of footsteps as people try to squeeze into the overcrowded train, the muttered "sorry" and " excuse me" from passengers, are all expected during evening rush hour. The train is filled with screeches , roars, and high hisses emitting from the outside and you can hear the soft musical chiming friom someone's phone. Too loud . The high pitch voices of children asking if they are almost there. The popping and cheers of success emitting from someones phone as they play a game. The whooshing noise as the a.c turns on. The unintelligible muttering and grunting from that guy in the corner of the train car. The rythmic tap of zippers hitting the seats as the train sways. The rustling  of plastic bags as a passenger prepares to exit the train. The dry cough of several passengers, the soft sniffles of others. The soft ascending humm of the train as it begins to speed up. As the doors open you can hear the squeals, screeches, hissing from the other train as it arrives across the platform . The interupted chiming of the door as it begins to close, the chime of door as it finally closes and the muffled thump of the closed door are soothing to those of us in a rush.
Regardless of how loud riding the train is, it's comforting to know we are on our way.