The thoughtless plucking of cords.

Air resonating through the pathways of muscle

To make sound.

Guttural, lyrical, nonsensical

Sound refined by teeth and tongue,

By the careful pursing and pulling of lips.

Honed and distinct,

But noise nonetheless.

Millions of species all screaming thunderous nonsense into the universe

Pleading with the sky for some significance –

Some meaningful connection,

Until airy, weightless commotion abides by the laws of physics

And is given gravity.

Through classification, coordination, labeling,

The sound is given meaning.

The noise is allowed power.

Heavy bricks of speech fall off the tongues of the paramount authority

And through stacking and cementing done by those only strong enough to produce pebbles

A pyramidal empire of words grows beneath the feet of the outspoken

The meticulous creatures of the earth, atop their loud monuments,

Cry out in triumph at the stars.

They profess their significance and demand recognition

And are met with silence.