Day 75: SHUT UP!

SHUT UP!
by
Matt Zurbo

Bipperty, bopperty, Bobby
was a kid who liked his noise.
(Bobby happy, smashing drums. Others recoiling.)

Zoink, doink, and then boink,
he grew tired of quiet boys.
(Bobby with huge bagpipes on, holding, arguing with two boys who have fingers in their ears.)

Fart, putter, sputter, plonk,
Bobby snuck out of town.
(Bobby, thumb out, cars zooming and honking past.)

Zoom, wubba, wuba, swoosh,
then found Noisy Downs
(Bobby, hobo’s stick and bundle of clothes over shoulder, looking up at sign for Noisy Downs, with two speakers either side of it: ‘Honk, Rattle! Crash!’ drifting out like songs.)

BLAT, BOOM! THUD, CLUNK!
the greeting noises went.
(Bobby in middle of street. Everybody shouting. Planes passing low, trucks honking. Kid walking by with big bass drum. Others with stupid big beat boxes, held on their shoulders by sticks with wheels, jackhammer with microphone under it and speaker, as if worker is busking, etc…)

“This! I say, this…!” he shouted,
“Is where time should be spent!”

Screaming traffic lights,
tummy rumbling garbage bins.

Letter boxes screaming:
“Don’t DARE put anything in!”

Doof, doof, guitar wail,
every corner a loud band!

Rah, rah, clap, cheer,
every house a louder fan!

Rumble, Bumble, voip!
Bobby decided to declare;

“I’m moving in, I love you all,
who’s got a room to spare?”

Clip, clop, clunk, zonk,
too much was going on!

No-one heard Bobby,
even when he banged a gong.

“Listen up!” he shouted,
determined to be heard.

Twitter, tweet, tweet!
he sounded like a little bird.

 Flip, flap flonk, flop,
he grabbed a megaphone!
(Bobby yelling into megaphone, as mob of seals pass him, barking, and carnie spruikers shout behind him, and big robot clunks and sputters behind them.)

“Hey, hey, I said…!” he said,
“Listen or I’ll go home!”

Crash, boom, tinkle,
no-one cared a bit.
(Car crash, falling glass, kid on pogo tick, gorilla playing symbols)

Bobby got some speakers,
he knew would do the trick.
(Huge concert speakers.)

“Ahem, cough cough…”
he politely cleared his throat.

“Politeness?” the truckie boomed.
Honk, honk! “What a joke!”
(Truck rumbling by, speakers and Bobby rolling in its exhaust.)

Symbols smashed, fat dog farted.
Bobby couldn’t breath.

“I…” was all he got to say,
then was drowned out by a sneeze!
(Giant sneezing on Bobby.)

He tried to get some rest,
sleeping in a box,

Gobble, gobble, gobble,
rattle, yadda, wonk!
(Bobby, teeth clenched, under box, one end held up by stick. School of geese passing.)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….growl sneer!
Bobby’s face turned red!

“BE QUIET!” he demanded.
The worst thing to have said.
(Bobby, face red, furious, shouting!)

(Double page spread of Bobby looking pensive as everybody and everything stops to look at him. Not a word or sound.)

“That’s against the law here…”
someone finally spoke.
(Garbo still frozen from when Bobby shouted.)

“Who are you to tell us,
when we can use our throats?”
(Everybody angry, shouting at Bobby.)

Swooh, zoom, woosh,
Bobby did a runner!

Back towards a place
quieter than thunder.

Shh, shh! Tippy toe…
All he had to do to leave,

was sneak past a guard dog,
as quiet as a breeze.
(Bobby tip-toeing past guard dog sleeping under Noise Downs sign.)

“Good-bye Noise Downs…”
Bobby softly whispered.

All sounds now of interest,
not just those for ear blisters.
(Bobby, tilting head, smiling contently as he listens to a ladybug fart.)

 

 

The End