A Noisy Conclusion

There is no such thing as silence
And no place left to be alone.
Our communication highway has become
An inescapable irritating noise
An incessant ringing in one’s ears
No longer just the ticking of a clock
Keeping you awake.

Transmitters hum atop dead trees
Whirling buzzes from electric fans
The grinding of a dirty engine block
And neighbours building their deck
Sawing and hammering away at
Life’s necessities that aren’t really 
Necessary at all.

Sounds that you cannot hear
Are still there all around you
Riding on the waves and surfing
The air in a non-stop chatter
Giving you news, music and weather.

Even where there should be no noise 
Lurking in the dark are low electronic signals
And the sound of your clock radio
Receiving enough energy to 
Remind you its five am
And you’re still awake.

Technology continues in a plethora 
of  beepers, cell phones and laptops
Giving us no escape at all
Where even in the woods 
You can turn it all off and 
Find yourself bumping into
Someone who is also hiding
From the world in a place
You thought there was no one.

Even the last great escape won’t be -
The space program will discover
Water on Mars and send half
Of us there to get away from the noise
Only To discover the incessant hum from
planet Earth keeps them up all night.

Which brings me to one final thought -
Are we alone in the universe?

If only.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2005

Poem

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