invisible

i'm always surrounded by a sea people. there's a buzzing humdrum of conversation and hollow metal clanking. where's my water bottle? snippets of passerby dialogue in assorted languages. a endless, incessant layer of noise. i find myself mixed and muddled within the in-between, gliding over under and through the waves of sound. the tempo rises, falls, then rises again. the sun disappears beyond the horizon and the moon soon takes its place. what's the weather like today? the noise drones on, louder. i remain lost within it, its tendrils wrap around my body. pulling, dragging... i feel my pace slow to a crawl. i'm trapped. unable to break my bindings, i shuffle in place and feign an attempt at finding comfort in the safety of a choking mass. when did i sleep last night? the noise grows louder, still. my head begins to ache. i close my eyes in vain. the noise begins to sound like laughter. where did i put my medicine? the tendrils loosen and return to their shapes. vague, humanoid figures. some tall, some short. all indistinct. i take a step forward, and open my mouth.

i remain silent.