Who Needs Words
By John Herlihy

Voices of nature have messages speech cannot portray;
Melodies of nature have music our words cannot convey.

Who needs words when . . .
The sound of a hundred galloping horses conveys urgency.
Who needs words when . . .
The songs of a hundred awakening birds convey vibrancy.
Who needs words when . . .
The cries of a hundred thousand crickets fill the empty air.
Who needs words when . . .
The cry of the loon fills the heart with a longing despair.
Who needs words when . . .
The call of the peacock evokes a melancholy sound.
Who needs words when . . .
The bubbling spring whispers secrets most profound.
Who needs words when . . .
The industrious bee buzzes like an electric saw.
Who needs words when . . .
The contented cat steadily purrs as it licks its paw.
Who needs words when . . .
The winter ice cracks. sounding like a horse whip.
Who needs words when . . .
The butterfly drinks the flower nectar sip by tender tip.
Who needs words when . . .
The ocean waves expire upon the shore with a crashing tone.
Who needs words when . . .
The shifting mountain quakes by uttering a mournful groan.

We need many things to soothe the soul in this life of ours.
When words fail, the sounds of nature fill the passing hours.