Hear the coughing, scratching, sneezing Someone's snoring, someone's wheezing Kid's toys banging on the chairs Drives me crazy, no one cares Feel the noises, slapping, stinging Sounds are grabbing, pulling, clinging Fill my ears, my head, my mind Hands in fists, teeth that grind Overstimulation stressing Noise in public, feels compressing Close my eyes to block it out Turns the whispers into shouts Cacophony of people talking Clock on wall is ticking, tocking Hear it all, cannot distinguish Mind on fire, can't be extinguished Chaos in the quiet places Hear the people, hate their faces Headphones in, I need relief Block the tumult, but only brief Music blasting in my ears Calms my nerves, allays my fears The world moves on in wild commotion But in my mind, a calm, still ocean Music soothes anxiety But someone needs me inevitably Pause the song, resume the clamor Smile on face, despite the hammer Pounding in my head, unending Pandemonium descending All I want is peace and quiet Instead I get a world of riot Neverending clash and clatter But in the end, it doesn't matter I hear it all, it just won't cease The world is loud, I won't find peace