Tuesday, November 02, 2004
October 28, 2004
the Silence remains
the bells ring out
one last time,
heralding the start of the night.
what's there to start,
when everything's dark,
and campus has long been abandoned?
it chimes that it's eight.
how you must hate
the reminder that you are alone.
"there's no one here,"
it makes very clear,
with each stroke of the deafening hammer.
"why did you stay on,
when others had gone?
now you must suffer the cost."
they chime once again,
their song at an end
and Silence regains its throne.
the crickets die down,
and all that's heard 'round,
is the hum of a lone air conditioner.
you want to see people.
you want to spend time
with those you'd proudly call friend
but they've all gone
to a place you can't go -
why did you choose to stay here?
"we can all watch movies
or play really fun games,"
you probably thought to yourself.
that they'd all stay in their rooms
and watch movies together,
was a fact you failed to consider.
now you're here all alone,
twiddling your thumbs,
listening to distant doors slam.
television's boring,
and solitaire's dull,
and things you once thought fun just aren't.
your window is open
wide to the world,
inviting them all to come in.
come in and talk.
come in and share.
come in and sit, and be bored together.
your life's book is open
willing to be read
but pages gather dust instead.
Silence weaves through campus
its threads pulling tight
cutting off all light and life
a car races by.
distant shouts can be heard.
but the Silence they cannot disturb.
the bells chime again.
you thought they were through
but apparently they go until nine.
there's one lonely soul
who's also alone
keeping his quarterly vigil
his words are quite sparse
and very predictable
but at the moment, he's all that you've got
but once it is nine
and he speaks one last time
and his echoes ring cross the land
they eventually cease,
and with them, their peace,
and only the Silence remains.
