Do Not Disturb

I used to beg for one more hour, now I bargain for less input,

Tryna mute the universe with a thumbprint, thats cute, look.

The streets got pop ups, the air got updates,

Everybody got a megaphone, nobody got brakes.

Theres a sale on anxiety, buy one get one free,

Comes with a receipt that says “your fault” in bold print to me.

I walk outside and the world wants a statement from my lungs,

Like my breath is a ballot and my silence is a slur in tongues.

I got a thousand opinions I never ordered, still delivered,

Porch piracy of peace, they snatch it as soon as its shipped, consider.

Rent is a metronome, tick tick, pay pay,

Groceries doing parkour, my paycheck doing ballet.

Traffic teach me patience by robbing me of it,

And time is a pickpocket with manners, so I dont even notice it.

I say “Im fine,” but thats just a cover letter,

I keep applying to calm like calm writes back never.

Im scrolling like a miner, digging for relief,

Hit a vein of bad news, now my wrists got grief.

I dont want more world, I want less of it.

Less noise in my blood, less “prove you exist.”

I keep waitin on peace like its drop day, like its rare,

While the whole damn planet lives rent free in my stare.

I want out so bad I romanticize blank,

But the world been in my pockets since I learned how to “thank.”

They say “be present,” then present me pressure,

Like a gift with a string that turns into a tether.

Everybodys branding, even grief got a logo,

Even love got a slogan, even “help” got a promo.

I tried “self care,” bought a plan, missed the payment,

Turns out my mind charges fees for basic maintenance.

My attention’s a hostage with Stockholm and a charger,

I hate the captor, still ask it for harder.

I’m taught to “stay informed,” so I’m informed of my doom,

Collecting catastrophe like its stamps in a room.

And the algorithms feed me what scares me the most,

Like “here’s your fear in 4K” toast to the ghost of my hope.

I want nature, I want simple, I want unsponsored air,

But my brain drags a committee everywhere I go, chairs included, fair.

I act like Im above it, then I click it again,

Like I’m sober from chaos but keep sipping it, friend.

If peace is a skill, I been skipping the drills.

If calm is a bill, I been ducking it still.

I wanted escape, a clean exit sign,

But I’m the one holding the door shut from inside.

I blamed the system, the weather, the bosses, the noise,

Like Im not on the field, like I’m not on the roster, boys.

But I add to the static every time I clap back,

Every time I chase a win in a comment that lacks.

I want the world to stop asking me to pick a side,

While I’m picking at my life like a scab I can’t hide.

I keep saying “later” like later is a therapist,

But later just invoices me interest for every minute I dismiss.

I’m waiting for life to get quiet enough to start,

While life is ovveer