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The Voices in My Head are Speaking in Tongues

The 1940s baseball game that plays in my head softly
with the sound of the crowd crumpling like a bag of chips hushes,
changing seats, brushing by one another at a hot dog stand, clapping, waiting
for the next play...
and it is replaced with frequencies that include lonely oldies
and interference from a transistor radio arguments. "I told you not to" someone keeps whispering.
"You were suppose to hand her the flower and leave."  Someone answers, hiss...
and it changes again but never goes back to the baseball game and that was familiar.

This is getting too close to the sound of voices and the clearer the message
the more or less disturbed I become, I'll be fine, just need some sleep,
as long as I can tell its in my head; but every now and then, someone calls my name,
like a boy from behind a tree, hiding, I look he's not there,
I hear an actor with an old time radio voice saying "Hey" like I stole his taxi.

I am more frequently alone than not.
I am less articulate these days and notice that most people, when speaking to me,
don't finish their sentences and say "you know?" mid-way
And they look at me like I do know
and I don't - they should finish what they say, but they are so comforted
by my blank stare that they move on.

The dial comes back, I don't want to set the world on fire
why is it so lonely in here?


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