Noise

Clobbering utensils
Like the high school bell
Ring in my head.
One after the other and another
The cacophony continues.
The Universe expands
A man shouts, a child cries.
Somewhere, my sleep dies.
A mother begins singing
The child joins in.
Mellow laughter
Interspersed with utensil-smashing
The only way to get some peace,
Is to go deaf.