Forced Participation

Intro

Written for both #AmpersandAfterDark prompt of (“walking the line between dreams and reality”) and #PoetsofDoom dark observational humor prompt inspired by Dorothy Parker.

A spoken word poem about noise, overstimulation, and the slow erosion of silence.

The audio version below is the intended experience, though the full text is included underneath for anyone unable to listen right now.

Honestly, they feel like two different poems. You’re missing out if you can’t listen to it.

Full text of Forced Participation

This morning I almost remembered
what silence sounded like.

A leaf blower
started screaming like the sidewalk
owed it money.

My upstairs neighbor
appears committed
to domestic riverdance.

A dog down the hall
has barked so long
I’m starting to assume
it knows something.

Sirens pass often enough
to qualify as weather.

In the parking lot below my window,
someone conducts a breakup
through car speakers.

Jerry Springer
would’ve called this
a season finale.

A child nearby
treats silence
like a personal insult.

Honestly,
I respect the commitment.

By noon,
every thought arrives interrupted.

Dreams used to feel separate.

Now they wear work boots,
carry leaf blowers,
and argue in parking lots.