ONLY A WORD.


 


 


ONLY a word, do you tell me? Yes;


And it matters so little, as you believe.


Only a word! Yet you cannot guess


The mark on a life a word may leave!


Only a word! Oh, I know it well—


That glib excuse for thoughtless speech!


And yet, remember, you cannot tell


How far or how deep a word may reach.


Only a word! But a word may harm,


And open a wound with its ceaseless smart,


And a word may heal like a magic charm,


If it come direct from a loving heart.


And "only a word," for all we know,


May hinder a sin, or may save a soul;


For the words we utter —they live and grow


Though they pass in a breath beyond control.


'Tis nothing but tiny drops that fill


Yon river that rolls so strong and deep;


And a life's whole teaching, for good or for ill,


Is made of the words we hold so cheap!


 


 


 


I. L. L. Pemberton