Noise

It starts as a rumble

It’s hardly noticeable

A tingle in your ear

A whisper

You turn 

Try to walk away

It catches you

You can’t tell what it is

Or where it is coming from

But it’s there

You know it

You’re not crazy

There

Right there

You hear better it now

But you’re still unsure

You pull someone aside

Yeah

They hear it too

But they shrug

Then they turn

They walk away

You try to ignore it 

But it rings in your ears

It’s there

Constant

Following you

Pulling at you

Distracting you

You grab someone else

They say it isn’t loud

It’s been there the whole time

Just deal with it

You grab someone else

Can’t be bothered

You grab someone else

It’s not noise

It’s music

Let the music play

You grab someone else

Nothing

Then another

Nothing

Another

Not a damn thing

You reach out

The noise grows louder

Until it is coming at you 

From all sides

It’s everywhere

Nothing but noise

It’s all you hear

It’s coming from the walls

From the street corner

From the chair I sit on

From the clothes I wear

From everything

From everyone

From the mouths of the entire world

From your entire world

It’s so loud

So loud

I didn’t notice myself shrinking

Every passing second

It grew louder

I grew smaller

I closed my eyes

Waiting for it to stop

It has to stop

It needs to stop

Then

I opened my eyes

But nothing

Just nothing

I saw nothing

I heard nothing

I was nothing

I became

The nothing