In the dark I sat alone
the silence I had searched for was broken
it was as if I was hearing
the beat of a broken heart

With it came the sound the empty stomachs of children
the wailing of mothers and fathers  
over those who had already passed
the weeping of an entire people
as the lack of humanity
allowed them to go without

I could swear that it was with my ears
yet I knew better
somewhere deep within
there had come an awakening
to the rhythm of life
a life that I could not begin to comprehend

I had to question if this was real
or a greater presence before me
from another plane
one that we cannot see with our eyes
hear with our ears
nor feel with our mortal being

How had this come while I was so alone
why was that time of silence invaded
these sounds I hear
should never be present

I had once been told
that a man's heart
had a limited number of beats
and then he would die

Whose death am I witnessing
as I listen to what is supposed to be my quiet time

That place of peace
will I ever be allowed to visit it again