Wearing Distraction

Walking home in silence
you learn all sorts of things.

You're used to the headphones providing a distraction
from the noise of outside. With the headphones in,
you can't hear the drill they use
to put a hole in the wall, and
you don't recognize that it makes the same sound
as the one the dentist uses on your teeth.

You don't notice the green turning to gold
in the sunlight
because the reflections of your screens
are much more worthwhile.

Maybe this is why the excitement of
new adventures
wears off so quickly. It's masked
by the distractions of everything else.

The way makeup covers your beautiful imperfections
and perfume overwhelms your senses.
I would rather be overwhelmed by other things.

Sunsets, blue skies, cloudy days,
but all ignored in favor of distraction.

I wouldn't trade them for the world, though,
because who wants the world anyway?
Too much poverty
and politics
and unemployment
for me to deal with.

I'll stick with what I have right now,
and try to remember why
I shouldn't wear distraction.