Comprehending Emergency Vehicles

An ambulance truck and two police cars light up the freeway.

The king instantly becomes excited,

his eyes track the lights as they fly by,

he laughs from the depths of his belly,

tilts his head back and screams “so fun!”

Mama blinks out a healing thought for the affected.

She keeps driving.

She’s happy her son notices the vehicles. For much of his life so far, he hasn’t taken notice to changes in his environment. A glass could break, a broom could fall, a door could slam and he’d continue to gaze into and sing to his fingertips.

She wonders though when her king’s comprehension of why emergency vehicles exist will emerge. When the lights and sirens are no longer a entertaining parade that ellicit excitement, but instead signs ands sounds that trigger emotions of condolences, fear, panic and heartbreak. When will he feel that tension in the air that one feels when the emergency vehicles seems to be headed toward someone you know?

His beautiful brain.

His mama wishes she knew so much more about it.

It has already taught her so much about the ways in which our emotions are defined by the signs and sounds that we can understand; that emotions are learned responses to systems of knowledge that may not be obvious to everybody in the room; or in this case, the car.