A midnight bar, chatting with friends
Between the architecture
and white-noise thump
of the background music
Between my lack of sleep
and the alcohol in my bloodstream
there’s a conspiracy at play
Suddenly, the camera
crash-zooms into me
as all of their voices
are sucked out through a trapdoor
and I hear nothing…

I smile, a strange sparrow smile
furtive and darting
patently pained and broken
Eyes searching their mouths
I try to fathom lip-shapes
which words they could be forming 
translate to names, to jokes, to anything
The people around me chattering
they look my way and smile
but flailing and petrified
and mouth too scared to shriek
‘I hear nothing…’

Desperately, in silence
I’m trying to break this spell
There’s a rain inside of me
terrified tears cascading down
I rush from this wreckage
out into the soothing city streets
Is this the way it’ll be, now
is this a glimpse of some mute future
A perfect storm of sounds
that leaves me deaf to other voices
I’m fortunate it’s fleeting
but I hear nothing…