Have you felt the stone’s sorrow beneath the waterfall?
Its cry is swallowed by the endless rush,
water striking, pounding, unceasing—
until the rock yields, worn to silent rubble.
Have you sensed the anguish of a building in a storm of sand?
Its walls whisper under the ceaseless assault,
grains scraping, scouring, thinning—
until the proud frame collapses into ruin.
Have you seen the torment of a tree in the path of a hurricane?
Its branches shriek as the wind tears through,
bending, breaking, battering—
until roots are ripped from earth, and life is stilled.
Have you understood the terror of a volcanic eruption?
The molten fire descends, merciless,
pouring, burning, charring—
until all that breathes is consumed in flame.
Have you witnessed the silence after an earthquake?
The trembling ground shudders,
shaking, splitting, leveling—
until no voice remains, only dust and absence.
Have you stood before the fury of a tsunami?
The sea surges inland with monstrous force,
waves crashing, sweeping, devouring—
until land and life are erased in its wake.
Have you known the agony of war?
The sky rains missiles, the earth erupts with bombs,
bullets pierce, fire scorches, cruelty repeats—
until millions of innocents, even newborns, are broken.
Have you noticed the solitary figure in a crowd?
His silence louder than screams,
his heart aching, hollow, hurting—
until loneliness gnaws at him, again and again.
The rock, the building, the tree,
the victims of volcano, earthquake, tsunami, and war—
they had no choice, caught in forces beyond their will.
But the lonely soul still holds a choice:
to reach toward humanity, to walk among others.
For if he turns away, silence will consume him,
and solitude will twist into despair.
