veneers

While I was brushing my teeth this morning, I had the most peculiar sensation wash over me. I felt completely alert. No groggy head, scrunched up eyes or slowly receding erection… And best (worst) of all, I could hear everything.

I could hear the inner workings of my system; the rolling of my stomach as I gagged while brushing my tongue; the foamy wishy-washiness in my mouth; my agonized coughs; the servant screaming at crows who were hopping into the kitchen in hope for some juicy morsel of Sindhi food; the men next-door trying to make themselves heard above the growl of their electricity generator; our very own district beggar chanting utter gibberish in very convincing rants; the scream of vehicles slowly gnarling themselves up in a filthy traffic jam and slowly but surely drowning everything out while my alertness drained out was the chanting rolling soothingly out of the neighbourhood mosque. It was surprising how these layers of sounds settled down on me until I could only hear the ritual afternoon prayer. Layers of sounds, layers of complexity, layers of every-day life.

Amidst such amazing and beautiful chaos my insignificance in this world wrapped itself around me and surprisingly, I was glad for it.