I wondered if bugs’ stomach’s growl
Or if they even have stomachs.
I wondered about the pain he felt
When he hit the glass.
I wondered if bug’s feel pain.
They say pain is the deepest of human emotions
The one thing we can be sure of
The only thing we can count on.
Does pain transcend all boundaries of species and genus?
Can pain be felt by other living things?
When I was much younger
I heard that carrots can feel.
They said when a bite is taken out of a carrot
Electric pulses soar through its center
A shock or a jolt.
Pain, the only thing all humans share.
The reality of nerves and nerve endings
Neutrons and electron pulses
Sailing up one’s legs and arms and body
Through the central organ, the heart
And into the brain.
It is a passionate physical reality
That one cannot escape
Through meditation or self-coercion.
Instead,
We share it.
Just as my stomach growled for the bug
My heart wains for the pain
I witness around me.
The hurt of loss
The misadventure into tears and sorrow
I absorb it; it becomes mine.
And I hurt inside
An ache shared by thousands.
By Sarah Hulin