I am a stone that fell - July 24, 2018

I fell.

I didn’t realize it at first.

I had been in that cozy spot on the wall for two millenia.

Then, I realized, below me, was a structure that was not stone.

Then I remembered a short flight through the air

Downward.

And that took me back

To my beginnings.

I was hewn from rock outside a shining, beautiful city, and transported slowly to my destination.

I could sense thousands of stones around me

Ready to be added to the next row

As the structure ascended to the top. 

I was put in my spot, affixed with other stones above, beside and below me.

There was a time that I could hear the horns sounding

And I could feel the vibrations of footsteps

Ascending the nearby stairway to a place above me.

There was singing, rejoicing, not just during a few times

When many people gathered there

But a small steady flow, every single day.

Then there was a sudden upheaval.  

Stones above me fell.

Some remained below me ever since their displacement.

New ones were added above me.

There were new and different sounds. 

Different languages.  

New names for the recipient of the prayers that were offered.  

There was majesty, and conflict, and majesty again

In this city that was a flashpoint among the people

Who sought to lay claim to it.

I knew that my builders were long gone,

But came to hear a cacophony of pronouncements

That, to me, sounded like a symphony.

You see, I couldn’t take sides

In the battles that raged around me

I could only do my best to maintain my place

In this wall that had lasted so long.

I understand that people wonder if walls have ears.

For that, I have no answer.

I only know that I, myself, have always heard

The prayers

The debates

The declarations

The edicts

The protests

The misunderstandings

And the attempts to bring

Unity

Harmony

Cooperation.

Agreement.

Peace.

As part of a wall

And a community of stones

That had stood for so long

I was always pulling for the latter – cooperation, harmony, and peace.

Only lately, I realized how tired I had become to hold up this wall
Which became difficult

Without the full support of those walking above, below, and near me
Who mostly approached me with parallel appreciation of my presence
Rather than in a shared wonder at how long I and my comrades had endured. 
It was enough for me to have lasted this long.

So I fell.

I leave it now to others to finish the work

Of binding the people together, somehow, some way

So that they will join in repairing this wall

Without accusation,

With coordinated action.

With love.

And with hope

For the millenia to come.