After

The ringing won't stop.

It's been since the concert last night,

since the band I used to love

played too loud,

and now there's this sound

that isn't a sound,

just the absence of silence,

just the proof that I was there.

It's in my head.

High-pitched, constant,

the way tinnitus is described

in forums I'll read at 3 AM

if I can't sleep.

Everywhere is too quiet now.

The ringing is louder than quiet.

I turn on the TV.

The ringing is still there,

underneath, over, through,

a sound that doesn't compete

with other sounds

because it's not a sound,

it's the space between sounds,

it's the proof that something

changed inside me.

I used to love this band.

I went to hear them.

Now I hear them

every time I close my eyes.

Not the music.

Just the ringing.

The sound of the show

still happening in my skull.