suddenly the din of chatter
the barrage of sounds
the parade of voices without faces

suddenly it was too much

but it was just another yoga class
same time, same people
same routine I’ve followed for years

but too much
suddenly different
suddenly overwhelming

out of the blue
all this noise
all these people

I was dumbstruck

disconnected

surrounded by life I
felt no part of

a blind man

alone

inside my bubble of being

tio stib