I remember Father Berry in the pulpit
Tall man came from Nelson POW
He stood there speaking
Packed church all intently
Listening to every word he said
I am drawn to this
Is that why I remember?
The power of words well spoken
To instruct
And more than that
To ignite and inspire
And make us whole and happy
In the flux
When words are true
When words are truly spoken
They heal the world
They put the world to rights
But careless words and cruel words have broken
The spirit and the heart
We lose the fight
Did Jesus think to save the world with talking?
I think he did
In the beginning was the Word
No man has ever spoken like this man
The gathered crowds
Rejoiced in what they heard
It is in hearing that we learn to speak
Like the deaf man cured
Ligament untied
Hear it true and say it right
Puts the world on course
The honest word will not be denied
The roles we bear in life
Are incidental
Accidents of age and place and time
But the words we speak
The spirit deep inside us
Is where we find our reason and our rhyme
Brian Fahy
6 September 2021
Erris Poetry 