Attempts to Study at Home

by Alyson Miller

Twenty-six letters,  

Rearranged a million times over, and over, again. 

How can I focus with all this noise?  

Noise... 

All around me, 

Noise... 

The birds chirp nonstop, 

The vacuum runs at the worst times... 

Noise.  

I read the sentence.  

I read the sentence.  

I read the sentence. 

Again. 

And again.  

And again.  

Nothing makes sense.  

With all this noise... 

Something outside makes the dogs bark. 

People come home and begin to talk... 

Noise.  

How can anyone focus with all this noise? 

Alyson Miller is a 20-year-old secondary education and English major with a love for exploring works of art. Her goal is to inspire young adult minds to find their own voices and discover a passion for learning. She wants to spend her summers traveling and gaining new perspectives on the world to share with her students and inspire them to look at life through new lenses.