Headphones

Sometimes I wear headphones with no music on. I used to do it a lot in middle school, this one girl would always try and talk to me while we walked home from the bus stop. I just had to get far enough ahead of her when exiting the bus and then act like my music was up too loud for me to hear her calls from behind. I used to wear them around the house and ignore my parents, they didn't care if I had headphones on though, they would still talk. I would walk down the street with them on, it was like slipping on an invisible cloak, people don't usually approach you when you have these things on. They are a way to seal yourself off from the surrounding world. I find myself wearing them more and more, I don't know why I don't listen to music in them, I guess I just prefer that silence. People talk around me and they think I can't hear them. They don't talk about things they shouldn't but the conversations aren't directed at me and they don't know I am listening. They would never guess that there is no music coming out of these things. They probably say I bet he is listening to Hendrix, no, no, no he looks more like a zepplin kinda guy. I don't think they even notice me. These things can filter out those conversations that you would rather not be a part of. They never ask the opinion of the guy wearing the headphones typing away at his computer. These are protection from the recitations of this bland atmosphere. Sometimes I nod my head like there is really music on, but it is hard to find the beat of nothing. I nod my head to the phone calls in the other office, the chattter of the women heading to break. They don't know what song I am not listening to. I can slide through this place in my bubble of artificial sound. A barrier that stops them from engaging me, these things say, my head is full of beautiful music, there is no room in my ears for you or what you have to say. I am free to observe, non participant in their matches of sonic garbage. Lobs and forehands of useless sound, rallying, bouncing back and forth. If you hit the ball over here I will not even throw it back, can't you see that i did not even hear the ball drop? These things are becoming more and more a part of me, constantly filtering, allowing me to exist without disturbing anything, like sitting on the bench and watching the game. These things say take me out coach, I just want to watch, I don't want to play with these people. I am in your world but i would rather not participate in your silly antics and rituals. The small talk and banter, the sharing of memories and photos from vacations. This head is inaccessible to you, it is plugged up by these headphones that do not play music. Someday I will unplug them, but not here. This is not a place I need to hear, I do not need to experience this place or it's sounds. I will just walk through and nod my head to the sounds of silence. A ghost walking these halls, don't try and talk to me, this is my favorite part of this song.