Headphones
You wear headphones to block everything out. Once you have them on, it's up to you whether you want to let people in or not. You replace the outside world with sound.Sometimes it's better to put a barrier between you and everyone.
Sometimes you put headphones on in cramped public settings. It doesn't matter if it irritates other people, because your ear drums feel as if they're going to burst as you try to ignore them. You use headphones to escape disenchantment with all the noxious people who congregate around you. When everyone turns sour and you're just left wanting to implode.
You put them on when you're standing over a urinal and a you get lost in the music, forgot that's a live album you're listening to, then subtly shuffle your head sidewards and without making eye contact try to discern if anyone heard a shrill voice announce "thank you, we're Thursday from right here in new Jersey. It's good to be home.".
You put them on and hope everyone will leave you to be alone. Still, someone is approaching, you can see their lips moving. Obviously you aren't ok, if you'd wanted people to question you about whether you were ok or not, you would have left your headphones off.
But someone always does.
And you have to answer. Or you spot your film studies teacher and give your excuse about cousework being late and suddenly the whole of world come crashing back inside, like a weight on your shoulders desperately tryng to compact you and reduce you to nothing. And now your barriers are down, again you hear all those sounds that tell you where to go and what you must do.
Sometimes you put headphones on in cramped public settings. It doesn't matter if it irritates other people, because your ear drums feel as if they're going to burst as you try to ignore them. You use headphones to escape disenchantment with all the noxious people who congregate around you. When everyone turns sour and you're just left wanting to implode.
You put them on when you're standing over a urinal and a you get lost in the music, forgot that's a live album you're listening to, then subtly shuffle your head sidewards and without making eye contact try to discern if anyone heard a shrill voice announce "thank you, we're Thursday from right here in new Jersey. It's good to be home.".
You put them on and hope everyone will leave you to be alone. Still, someone is approaching, you can see their lips moving. Obviously you aren't ok, if you'd wanted people to question you about whether you were ok or not, you would have left your headphones off.
But someone always does.
And you have to answer. Or you spot your film studies teacher and give your excuse about cousework being late and suddenly the whole of world come crashing back inside, like a weight on your shoulders desperately tryng to compact you and reduce you to nothing. And now your barriers are down, again you hear all those sounds that tell you where to go and what you must do.