Cacophony in Modern Society

Cacophony in modern-day society

Echoes, tantrums, and hissy fits

Meaningless in the moment

Meaningless in eternity

Screams, shouts, and call-outs

Inharmonious verbal assaults

On the streets and in the homes

Noise, noise, noise, the constant drone

Sirens, dogs, and car alarms

Incessant hammering, beeping horns

Music blares from a passing car

Revelry singing from the corner bar

A volumetric stew boiling in the air

Served with a curt “listener beware”

Shell casings ringing on the road

Bandits reaping what they’ve sowed

Footsteps pound the pavement

Eyes focused on digital enslavement

Beeps, clicks, and electronic sounds

Filling open spaces in the background

What’s it take to find a quiet space?

A peaceful, serene, and silent place

Listening to nothing a guilty pleasure

Call it sin, or call it a treasure

A constant ringing in my ears

The disruption an unwanted souvenir

More banging, clanging, people screaming

Can’t escape as I’m not dreaming

Raucous laughter from a group of boys

Comparing phones, comparing toys

The many sounds all fill my head

My brain might explode, and I’d be dead

Cacophony has gotten the best of me

So I’ll plug my ears and hear what I see

Imagination my only recourse

Like a silent movie of my own discourse

In my mind people speak much lower

Their words direct and spoken slower

Only saying what needs to be said

Important sounds would fill my head

And understanding would come simply

The point and purpose visualized quickly

We’d never hear the unnecessary

Ambient noise no longer customary

Engines running like a quiet purr

The world subject to the speech whisperer

Silence is golden, at least that’s been heard

Many of us would say it’s preferred

But alas, life won’t cooperate with me

The magnitude grows increasingly

Sonic booms, construction blasts

Reporters yelling on local newscasts

Protesters and enthusiasts

What I’d do to live in the past….

 

R J Schwartz
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R J Schwartz

I write about everything and sometimes nothing at all. I'm fascinated by old things, rusty things, abandoned places, or anywhere that a secret might be unearthed. I'm passionate about history and many of my pieces are anchored in one concept of time or another. I've always been a writer, dating back to my youth, but the last decade has been a time of growth for me. I'm continually pushing the limitations of vocabulary, syntax, and descriptive phrasing.

2 thoughts on “Cacophony in Modern Society

  • December 22, 2016 at 5:32 PM
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    So true Ralph, I’m with you. Beautifully emoted and rendered of the echo of humanity, the endless noise of living in today’s societies. Because of it, I live a life of a virtual recluse, as I don’t handle it well. Some wonderful imagery and phrasing as always Ralph. Great work my friend.

  • December 22, 2016 at 6:20 PM
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    I sure relate to this, Ralph. I wonder if this cacophony all around us is the reason many of us have tinnitus? I love my quiet little home and hate going out where people and noise abound. Great work, Ralph.

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