1 - Sound Poem by George Hunter

A tree in a forest
Fell to the ground.
No one was there,
So it made no sound.
How can that be, Dad?
Seems crazy to me.
Listen up, lad
And you will see.
It’s not a crazy superstition,
It’s just a fact by definition.
Sound is defined as a vibration of the air
Impinging in your ear upon some hair.
So it’s simple, don’t you see?
No ear, no hear.
No one around, no sound!

Convinced? Well don’t be
That’s not the whole story
As we shall see.
A second meaning rears it’s head
Before we put this thing to bed.
So to be more specific
Let us be scientific.
A wider definition
Includes the position
That though it seems strange,
Some vibrations
Are out of our range.

So sound, heard or not,
Is still there
Whether or not it seems fair.
So I’ll have to conclude
Though it may seem rude,
That the tree makes a sound
When striking the ground
Though no one’s around.