to make a sound

TO MAKE A SOUND

 

if a tree falls in the forest

and nobody is there to hear it

does it make a sound?

 

I would say no -

but what if the tree that fell

scared off a flock of birds

who in an abrupt exodus

flew right over my head?

what if I looked up at them in wonder?

I would know that the tree had fallen

I would have heard the sound

even if I did not know that I knew

 

when I fall from the world

no one will be there to witness my death.

will I have made a sound?

 

I would say no -

but what if the earth reclaimed my body,

and from that grew a tree

which was home to a flock of birds?

one day that tree might shudder and collapse

and the birds might take flight.

they might fly right over your head,

and I would be with them -

the ghost of me would land with one

on your shoulder -

a magical moment that makes you feel something

indescribable

a confused-but-exciting

fleeting-sense-of-connection

 

what if you looked at that bird in wonder?

you would know that I have loved you in this life

you would have heard a sound

even if you did not know that you knew