Another smoke

Outside was all confusion. The droning of a stationary bus's engine, the noise of passing traffic, the indistinct babbling of passers-by, the conversations I could hear clearly but wished I couldn't, the screaming of toddlers, the humming of the library's aircon in the doorway. People milling around in every direction, either singly or in groups, people walking towards me and people walking away from me, vehicles travelling in four directions. All the different colours and the appallingly drab quality of daylight. I saw and heard it all, all at once. It does get rather overwhelming. I wish I could pick and choose from these. Given the choice I'd rather have seen and heard nothing.