A Broken Silence

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