"I'm important!" he screamed,
"I matter!"

But his words were lost;
Drowned out
By the drone of students around him
By the screech of cars in the street
The hum of insects on leaves
The laugh of every child
By the screams of those dying for their cause
By the breaths of billions
And the infinite pounding steps
By the roar of four oceans
By the crackle of distant stars

By the silence of the universe.