Sirens

At night I rock on the porch and listen to the sirens.

Sirens signal where danger is. I listen to where they are coming from and where they are going. I’ve learned the different tones from security to rescue to emergency service.

If they drive by quickly there is something bad happening. If they drive slower they are looking for trouble. If they stop, I worry.

If the problem is really serious there will be lots of sirens. If it is a car chase I can listen to it travel around the city without a scanner.

I was walking home one night when three police cars sirens wailing stopped and the officers jumped out with guns drawn as some woman came running out of a house screaming. I walked across the street.

If I hear a siren I try to go the opposite direction. That loud sound just tells me to avoid at all cost.

In Greek mythology, the Siren were dangerous creatures, who lured sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.

Sirens are usually daughters of the river god Achelous, with Terpsichore, Melpomene, Sterope, or Chthon (the Earth).  Sirens are found in many Greek stories, notably in Homer's Odyssey.

Their number is variously reported as from two to five. In the Odyssey, Homer says nothing of their origin or names, but gives the number of the Sirens as two. Later writers mention both their names and number as Peisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepeia.

No matter of the origin or the names or the reasons, sirens should be avoided like flashing lights in the rearview mirror.