Sometimes
all I have the strength to do is listen.
Sounds fill the night—airplanes, cars honking, ambulances.
Sometimes
I imagine that I am blind and sounds are my only friends.
Messages brought alive to alert my senses—the ringtone of a
phone, crumpling paper, a spinning dryer
These are not the sounds of rattling bones, inflamed anger,
or pontificating pundits.
These are everyday noises that remind me of the business of
life--
Laughing students, the scratching of a squirrel running up a
tree, a motorcycle revving on a city street.
Sometimes
I want to spend a day only listening, not talking.
Delving into another’s soul—hearing the fear of defeat, the
wonder of a child, the joy of success.
Sometimes I am lulled to sleep
by the rhythm of a fan or the ticking of a nearby clock.
Sounds remind me I am alive--strumming guitars, a missed voice
that brings tears, a genuine and thankful response, the thud of my beating
heart.
Yet one of the greatest sounds of all is the sound of your
own voice—knowing you have the power to bring calm to a storm, cause someone
sad to smile, bend wills, strengthen burdened hearts, and encourage ones you love.
May I use my voice to be a sweet melody to a world that
hears only sadness and despair.
Sometimes I love the sound of
silence most of all—for in silence I hear the voice of hope.
