The loudest
Of sounds
Are quite often
Not the most deafening.

The scream of a firework
Scratching your eardrums
The clack of a gunshot
Piercing your eardrums
The crash symbol at a rock concert
Tearing your eardrums
Loudest?
Maybe.
Deafening?
Not quite.

The echos
Staining the walls
After a three hour phone call
Deafening your ear drums
The mere rumble
From the car engine
After dropping each friend
At their front door
One by one
Until it is just you and your engine
Deafening your ear drums
To the point that the radio
Can no longer be heard

Solitude,
Rarely the loudest.
Most deafening?
Certainly.