in a bar , though , on a late sunday afternoon , when i can hear the hollow , distant crack of bats from a red sox game on the tv , the solid drop of pool balls falling into pockets from the back room , the idle chatter of men and women playing keno and scratch cards as they do their best to ward off monday and its horn honks and barking bosses and drudging responsibilities-i find the noises mingle together into a soft , constant buzzing , and my mind clears of all else but the notes laid before me between a coaster and a bowl of peanuts .