Gazing upon the world,
confident in the mastery of their domain,
they see those without their sand and wonder,
do they not see our empire of sand?

Unable to resist the pull of knowing,
an emissary is sent from the empire of sand,
to meet the empire without.

With an unsure start, the emissary of sand blurts,
“What do you build from”?
The without respond,
“We build with hearts”,
the emissary of sand understands: the empire of hearts.

The without from the empire of hearts asks,
“May we exchange some of your sand for our hearts”?
the sand emissary presents a fist of sand,
the without gently uncover the heart to exchange.

“A magnificent exchange, the empire of sand will be pleased”
the without look upon the empire of sand’s most mighty gift,
“What might we do with this, we can not build more with your sand”.

The emissary of sand hurriedly draws diagrams in the sand,
“You visit each other with these, talk to each other with that, and live together in this”,
the empire of hearts looks doubtful,
“We do these things. How do you build with one another”?
the emissary without does not understand this empire of hearts.

The emissary without asks directly,
“You claim to have what our empire of sand has, yet I see no such creations”
The empire of hearts solemnly responds,
“We see things as they are,
peering inside reveals your sand is without”

The emissary returns without,
having felt the radiant warmth of the heart,
having seen through its translucent flesh,
having without the heart of ones own to hold the memory full,
The emissary feels nothing,
having returned to the mighty empire of nothing.