Neurora

It must be nice—
not to hear,
not to feel,
not to notice
everything, all the time.

How nice would it
to not hear the water rushing down the pipes
to not feel every gust of wind going past your skin
to not smell the soap the person in front of you used

How amazing would it be
to not hear four conversations while trying to hold your own
to not feel the uneven tiles or stones below your feet
to not get overwhelmed by the taste of food

How wonderful is it
to not hear the ticking of the clock
to not feel the vibrations of the people in your environment
to not taste the different brand product in your meal

How terrific could it be
to tolerate sensations like these
or even better —
to just not register them in the first place

Wouldn't it be awful
to hear every click of every keyboard and mouse
to feel all the accessories pressing against your skin
to hear the fan of a laptop spinning all the time
without being able to ignore it

Wouldn't it be horrible
to hear the compressor of the fridge all the time
to feel the seam of your sock
to feel the skin of the chair against your skin
without being able to ignore it

It would be dreadful
to feel your eyelashes sticking to each other
to feel one hair pressing on your skin
to be blinded by a dim screen
to find almost silent headphones too loud
to get irritated by residue on your hands

Sometimes I seem distracted.
Like I’m not all there.
But really, I’m just trying
to keep my head above water
while the noise keeps rising.