To hear these sounds my gentle friend
Takes courage, strength and mirth
As Budda sat and laughed and laughed
When his pain became mankind's.

The sound of one hand clapping
The scream of a broken heart
And the slow dry-heaving emptiness
Of a ripped and battered soul.

Heart thunder rolling outwardly
Doth calm these evil tones
That I hear in people everywhere
Too often and too loud.

But one sound rings a deeper note
The saddest note of all...
The heart sound of an innocent child
Corrupted and in pain.