WHAT WOULD AUDOBON DO?

I said to my lover on a particularly quarrelsome day, “You don’t listen to me.” His posture straightened. He cocked his head non-aggressively. Hours later in the early part of morning, he agreed to give me time to clarify my meaning of listen. “Not Biblically,” I said. “Like listen to God and obey! Not like a scolding mother before she gets the switch: You better listen! But in a nature-loving way, like listening to birds. Eliminate noises in the forest of your head, fine-tune your ears to the sound of my voice, and hear the words of my mating call.