Too Much

It’s too much

Constantly

Ringing all around.

There’s too much sound

Crowding around,

Crowding around,

Crowding around.

Blood pounding and rushing

Body reeling

And steeling myself from

Screaming,

Screaming,

Screaming.

When did it start? Maybe it never stopped,

And I just never noticed the choir of chaos

Ricocheting off the walls and piercing my beating mind.

Arresting my thoughts, erasing meaning from any words

Spoken louder than necessary for my ears.

Like steel shredding through silk curtains,

The noise,

The noise,

The noise slices my sanity

Into fine wedges

Wedged in lonely corners

Abandoned places

Void of life yet the ringing follows,

I stuff my ears with that silk but still

I hear the sharp sword missing its target

Over,

And over,

And over.

While there’s nothing left to rip.