silence (still)

the clock tic-tocs in a corner of the room. the neighbours walk up and down their loose wooden floor, the murmur of their telly coming through the ceiling. cars rumble past. domestic appliances burr and sputter. the laptom hums. they keyboard clicks. hypnotised by my tinnitus, i can hear blood rushing round my body, oxygen filling my lungs. tic-toc. stomach rumbles comedy sounds and breaks the spell.