“Is anyone alive out there?”
“Define alive,” the echoes said.

The dictionary said, “Not dead,
able to think and speak and breathe,
to feel, to move, able to see.”

Yes, able to see, able to hear
and answer me — a human voice,
a reasoning brain, a sagacious soul,
if any be in this barren waste,
in these shriveling lands of shallow grace;

A heart, a mind — quick, robust,
risen from the cultural dust,
girded to fight for truth and beauty,
one with a passion for honor and duty.

Please call out if any be there —
send a signal or a flare!