Noise everywhere fills the ears
Jarring, jostling, encouraging fears
There once was silence in all the land
Before machines learned to pound sand
People talk and yell, and scream
Intelligent and informed, so they seem
Even the lights have their own bright noise
Come one, come all, girls and boys
Are there any quiet places left
Or have our advances left us bereft
Do we dare to put down our phones
Sitting in stillness within our homes
Can we imagine a world in peace
Or have our imaginations begun to cease
Do we still dream, hope, and pray
Or do we continue to waste away
Loud comes from a place where I was frustrated with social media and the “Facebook generation.” “Jarring, jostling, encouraging fears” speaks to how much information people readily accept on the Internet, while ignoring their own critical thinking skills or prior knowledge. “Intelligent and informed, so they seem” speaks to that sentiment as well. So many people are confident in the factuality of the false information that they espouse, that it’s nearly impossible, even with easy-to-understand evidence, to change their minds. People seem to want to believe in conspiracy theories over facts, random Youtubers over established scientific organizations, and their own opinions over established truths. The rest of Loud talks about how we need to rediscover our quiet places and find again what made us, us. It asks a question to the reader, attempting to determine what the reader is going to do moving forward.