Sensory Overload

How many planes have you heard over your head today
How many automobile horns and motors did you hear today
Did the sounds of  police sirens. ambulances and fire engines fill your ears today
What of the dogs barking
The babies crying
The trains screeching to a halt
How about the music blaring from storefront speakers
And then the helicopter from the news stations
The school bells ringing the change of classes, and the church bells tolling the hours, quarter hours, and half past
The mother yelling at her kid to shut up
The televisions selling everything and nothing
The heating systems rolling warmth
The eateries exhaust motors
Those noisy generators that turn on the lights
The police whistle that says stop and go
The drunk singing a song with unknown words
The weird one shouting the end of the world
A cat hissing preparing for attack
The other who always chants for us to repent
The vibration and drone of the jackhammer
The hiss of the steam through the street vents
A motorcycle with a pseudo muffler
The refrigerator engine
The washing machine
The dryer
The dishwasher
The doorbell
The telephone
The alarm clock
The sound of running water
The coffee pot hissing
How many engines have you heard today
How many machines have droned your ears to dullness
And your nerves to fray
To be happy to close your eyes to sleep
To wake from a dream with the sound of the garbage collection crew complaining about working while we no longer sleep