The Day is Too Loud

I'm not the only one

undone by daytime's screams.

You can't hear it can you?

Sunlight's parade of gnashing critters,

civilized or not,

marching, munching,

stomping, screeching.

Stimulus after stimulus advertised to me

as avant garde and natural order,

yet I'm the unnatural one

because I have to hide in my blood.

My eyes, ears, nose, and mouth

pour red unwillingly

and my skin suit melts and cracks

in harsh light, sound, smell, and touch,

then I'm expected to join

the parade of my torture.

I'm not the only one undone daily.

You've never heard our suffering

because your normality silenced us

while we were trying to tell you,

"The day is too loud."

Author's Note: "The Day is Too Loud" was auctioned to donate funds to a nonprofit clinic whose mission is to help children, teens, and adults with autism. Autism is commonly paired with sensory processing disorder, which is the theme of the poem. Below is the version of the poem that was printed, framed, then sold for $65. All proceeds went to the clinic.